THE WEB 



The Authorized History of 
The American Protective League 




The Web 



BY 

Emerson Hough 

Author of 
The Mississippi Bubble," "54-40 or Fight," 
"The Magnificent Adventure," etc. 



A Revelation of Patriotism 

The Web is published by authority of the National 
Directors of the American Protective League, a vast, 
silent, volunteer army organized xoith the approval 
and operated under the direction of the United 
States Department of Justice, Bureau of Investigation. 



The Reilly & Lee Co. 
Chicago 



b 



\^. 



^^^ 



Copyright, 1919 

By 

The Reilly & Lee Co. 



Made in U. 8. A. 



AUG -7 1^19 

The Wei) 



C?Ci,A529498 



To 
TEE UNKNOWN AMERICANS 

unnamed, unhonored 

unrewarded 

who made this history possible 



P 



y/ 



THE CALL OF THE PEESIDENT OF THE 
UNITED STATES 

" It is a distressing and oppressive duty, Gentlemen of the 
Congress, which I have performed in thus addressing you. 
There are, it may be, many months of fiery trial and sacrifice 
ahead of us. It is a fearful thing to lead this great peaceful 
people into war, into the most terrible and disastrous of all 
wars, civilization itself seeming to be in the balance. But the 
right is more precious than peace, and we shall fight for the 
things which we have always carried nearest our hearts. 
. . . To such a task we can dedicate our lives and our 
fortunes, everything that we are and everything that we have, 
with the pride of those who know that the day has come when 
America is privileged to spend her blood and her might for 
the principles that gave her birth and happiness and the 
peace which she has treasured. God helping her, she can do 
no other, ' ' 



THE ANSWEE OF THE CONGRESS OF THE 
UNITED STATES 

"Whereas, The Imperial German Government has com- 
mitted repeated acts of war against the Government and the 
People of the United States of America ; therefore be it 

"Resolved, iy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the United States of America, in Congress assembled. That 
the state of war between the United States and the Imperial 
German Government which has thus been thrust upon the 
United States is hereby formally declared; and that the 
President be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to 
employ the entire naval and military forces of the United 
States and the resources of the Government to carry on war 
against the Imperial German Government ; and to bring the 
conflict to a successful termination all the resources of the 
country are hereby pledged by the Congress of the United 
States." 



STATEMENT OF THE ATTOENEY GENERAL OF THE 
UNITED STATES 

February 1, 1919 

On the occasion of the dissolution to-day of the American 
Protective League and the final termination of all of its activ- 
ities, I take the opportunity to express to its National 
Directors and all other officers and members my personal 
thanks for their assistance to me and to my Department dur- 
ing the period of the war. I am frank to say that the 
Department of Justice could not have accomplished its task 
and attained the measure of success which it did attain with- 
out the assistance of the members of the League. 

Your reward can only be the expressed thanks of your 
Government. As the head of the Department of Justice, 
under which the American Protective League operated, I 
render you such thanks with sincere pleasure. Upon the 
occasion of a request from a member of the Committee on 
the Judiciary of the House of Eepresentatives for an expres- 
sion of opinion by me as to the adoption of a joint resolution 
by the Congress of the United States, extending the thanks 
of Congress to the members of the League, I have urged in 
strong terms the adoption of such a resolution, as one justly 
earned by the organization during an extended period of 
devoted and effective service. 

The work of your organization will long be an inspiration 
to all citizens to render their full measure of service to their 
country according to her need, without reward, and with 
abundant zeal. 

Respectfully, 

T. W. Gregory 

Attorney General 



AUTHOR'S PREFACE 



'' Signed! " 

The one word, spoken by a young officer of the U. S. Army, 
a strip of paper in his hand, confirmed to his associates the 
greatest news the world has ever known. It was the corrected 
foreword of peace. The armistice had validly been signed 
by Germany. 

In these first days of peace, the streets were full of shout- 
ing, laughing, weeping men and women gone primitive. The 
sane and sober population of America, engaged in sending 
a third of a million men a month to join the two millions 
on the front in France, turned into a mob. Their frenzy 
was that of joy. The war was over. 

On the day following the confirmation of the armistice, 
some who had sat together in a certain room in Washington 
were scattered. Six thousand resignations of Army officers 
were handed in within twenty-four hours. The room in 
which the news of the war's end was thus received was one 
in the Military Intelligence Division of the General Staff in 
Washington. There lie the secrets of the Army. All in that 
room were officers of the Army, or soon to be such. All 
were volunteers. I may with propriety say that for a time I 
had sat with those who had ear to the secret voices of the 
world, in the tensest atmosphere I ever knew. 

It was whispers that " M. I. D." heard — the whispers of 
perfidious men, communicating one with the other, plotting 
against the peace of America, the dignity of our Govern- 
ment, the sacredness of our flag, the safety of American 
lives and property. Here sat the authorized agents of the 
Army, emploj^ed to hear such whispers, enlisted to catch the 
most skilled and unscrupulous spies the world has ever 
known, the agents of a treacherous and dishonorable enemy. 

All those connected with the Military Intelligence Divi- 
sion ' daily felt also the touch of this great, silent, smooth- 

11 



12 AUTHOR'S PREFACE 

running machinery of the Department of Justice, whose gov- 
ernmental mission it was to do detective work on the largest 
scale this country ever knew. "We heard the voice of the 
"War College through the official liaison therewith ; also those 
of the General Staff, the War Department, the Post Office 
Department, the cable censors, the censors of the Expedi- 
tionary Forces. It all worked as an interlocking, vast, silent 
machine — a solemnly, almost mournfully silent machine, of 
which America knows almost nothing, the rest of the world 
nothing at all. 

Day by day, in ghostly silhouette, passed sinister figures, 
thenselves silent; those who plotted against America. All 
the deeds that can come from base and sordid motives, from 
low, degenerate and perverted minds ; all the misguided phe- 
nomena of human avarice and hate and eagerness to destroy 
and kill — such were the pictures on the walls of " M. I. D. " 

I have spoken of certain essential liaisons against espion- 
age and propaganda. More often seen than any other ini- 
tials in the desk algebra of " M. I. D." were three initials — 
"A. P. L." This or that information came from A. P. L. 
This was referred to A. P. L. for more light. Every ques- 
tionnaire of a man applying for a commission in the Army 
was referred back to A. P. L., and A. P. L. took up the 
question of his unswerving and invincible loyalty. A. P. L. 
found slackers and deserters in thousands. A. P. L. found 
this or that spy, large or little. A. P. L., obviously, had a 
busy mind and a long arm. 

Yet if you should look in the Governmental Blue Book 
for this powerful branch of our Government, you could not 
find the initials there at all. Very many Americans never 
heard the name of this wholly unofficial organization which 
passed on so many governmental questions, was of so much 
aid in so many ways to the Government. A. P. L. is not and 
never was a part of any state or national arm, service, de- 
partment, or bureau. But openly and proudly it has always 
been definitely authorized to carry on all its letter-heads, 
** Organized with the Approval and Operating under the 
Direction of the United States Department of Justice, Bu- 
reau of Investigation." These are its credentials. 

A, P. L., the mysterious power behind our Government, 
was no baseless fabric of a vision, as hundreds of Germans 



AUTHOR'S PREFACE 13 

and pro-Germans can testify through their prison bars; but 
it passes now and soon will " leave not a wrack behind." 
As these pages advance, the word issues for its official de- 
mobilization. It was honorably encamped on a secret and 
silent battlefield, but now, once more to use a poet's word, 
it has " folded its tents like the Arab, and silently stolen 
away. "It was, and is not. You never have known what 
it was. You never will see its like again. 

"A. P. L." means the American Protective League. It 
means a silent, unknown army of more than a quarter mil- 
lion of the most loyal and intelligent citizens of America, 
who indeed did spring to arms over night. It fought battles, 
saved lives, saved cities, saved treasures, defended the flag, 
apprehended countless traitors, did its own tremendous share 
in the winning of the war. It saved America. It did protect. 
It was a league. 

It did all this without a cent of pay. It had no actual 
identification with the Government. Yet it has won scores 
of times the written and spoken thanks of our most respon- 
sible Government officials. Its aid in the winning of the war 
can not be estimated and never will be known. Not even 
its full romance ever can be written. May these hurrying 
pages save all these things at least in part, though done in 
the full consciousness that their tribute can be but a frag- 
ment of the total due. 

The American Protective League was the largest company 
of detectives the world ever saw. The members serYed 
without earlier specialized training, without pay, without 
glory. That band of citizens, called together overnight, rose, 
grew and gathered strength until able to meet, and abso- 
lutely to defeat, the vast and highly trained army of the 
German espionage system, which in every country of the 
globe flooded the land with trained spies who had made a 
life business of spying. It met that German Army as ours 
met it at Chateau-Thierry, and in the Argonne, and on the 
Vesle and on the Aisne. Like to our Army under arms — 
that Army where any of us would have preferred to serve 
had it been possible for us to serve under arms — it never 
gave back an inch of ground. Growing stronger and better 
equipped each day, it worked always onward and forward 
until the last fight was won. 



14 AUTHOR'S PREFACE 

A. P. L. has folded its unseen and unknown tents. It will 
bivouac elsewhere until another day of need may come. Then, 
be sure, it will be ready. On the day that the American Pro- 
tective League disbanded, it had no money in the treasury. 
It had spent millions of dollars, and had brought to judg- 
ment three million cases of disloyalty. There, obviously, un- 
written and unknown, scattered in every city and hamlet of 
America, was a tremendous story, one of the greatest of all 
war stories, the story of the line behind the guns. 

When the men of long or of transient connection with 
M. I. D. had shaken hands and said good-bye, the National 
Directors of the American Protective League asked me to 
st0!3 on and write the history of the American Protective 
League. And so, in large part, as a matter of loyalty and 
duty, with millions of pages of records at hand, with a quar- 
ter of a million friends I have never seen, who never have 
seen one another, who never otherwise would know the iden- 
tity of one another, I began to do something which most 
obviously and certainly ought to be done. This book is writ- 
ten alike that these quarter million unpaid soldiers may 
know of one another, and that a hundred million Americans 
may also know of them accurately, and thank them for what 
they did. 

Before I had done the last page of the strange history, I 
knew that I had felt an actual reflex of the actual America. 
I knew that I had been in touch with one of the most astonish- 
ing phenomena of modern days, in touch also with the most 
tremendous, the most thrilling and the most absorbing story 
of which I ever knew. 



EMERSON HOUGH 



Washington 
District of Columbia 
United States of America 
February 14, 1919. 



CONTENTS 
Book I: The League and Its Work 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I The Awakening 19 

II The Web 29 

III Early Days op the League 38 

IV The League in Washington 44 

V The Law and Its New Teeth 55 

YI German Propaganda 62 

VII The German Spy Cases 82 

VIII The Spy Himself 107 

IX Handling Bad Aliens 120 

X The Great I. W. W. Trial 133 

XI The Slacker Raids 141 

XII Skulker Chasing 148 

XIII Arts op the Operatives 163 

Book II: The Tales of the Cities 

I The Story of Chicago 179 

II The Story of New York 199 

III The Story op Philadelphia 210 

IV The Story of Newark 226 

V The Story of Pittsburgh 239 

VI The Story op Boston 246 

VII The Story of Cleveland 256 

VIII The Story of Cincinnati 267 

IX The Story of Dayton 276 

X The Story op Detroit .\. 285 

XI The Story op St. Louis , 293 

XII The Story op Kansas City 303 

XIII The Story of Minneapolis 310 

XIV The Story op New Orleans 324 

XV The Story of California 332 



Contents 
Book III: The Four Winds 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I The Story of the East 363 

II The Story of the North 381 

III The Story of the South . . .\ 418 

IV The Story of the West 438 

Book IV: America 

I The Reckoning 453 

II The Peace Table 473 

Appendices 483 



BOOK I 

THE LEAGUE AND ITS WORK 



THE WEB 



CHAPTER I 

THE AWAKENING 

The "Neutral Cases" — First Realization of the German 
Spy System in America — Overcrowding of the Depart- 
ment of Justice — The Birth of a New Idea — Formation 
of the American Protective League, Civilian Auxiliary — 
Astonishing Growth of the Greatest Semi- Vigilante Move- 
ment of the World. 

We Americans have always been disposed to peace. We 
have not planned for war. Our Army has never been a 
menace to ourselves or to any other nation; our Navy, 
though strong and modern, never has been larger than a 
country of our extent in territory an-d industry admittedly 
ought to have. No one has feared us, and there has been 
none of whom we have had any fear. We have designedly 
stood aloof from entangling alliances. The two great 
oceans traditionally have been our friends, for they have 
set us apart from the world's quarrels. An America, far 
off, new, rich, abounding, a land where a man might be 
free to grow to his natural stature, where he might be safe 
at his own fireside, where he might select his own rulers 
and rest always secure under his own form of government 
— that was the theory of this country and of this form of 
government. That was the reason why this country, natur- 
ally endowed above any other region of the world, has 
grown so marvelously fast. 

There was reason for America's swift stature. She was 
a land not of war, but of peace. Rich, she threw open her 
•doors. Frank, free, honest, generous, she made welcome 
all who came. She suspected none, trusted all, and to 

19 



20 THE WEB 

prove this, offered partnership in her wealth to any man 
of the world, under a system of naturalization laws whose 
like, in broadness and generosity, does not exist. Peace — 
and the chance to grow and to be happy. Peace — and a 
partnership in all she had. Peace — and a seat free at the 
richest table of the world. That was what America 
offered ; and in spite of the pinch and the unrest of grow- 
ing numbers, in spite of problems imported and not native 
to our long-untroubled land, that was the theory of Ameri- 
can life up to a date four years earlier than this. 

In that four years America has changed more than in 
any forty of her earlier life. But yesterday, young, rich, 
laughing, free of care, Homerically mirthful and joyous, 
America to-day is mature, unsmiling, grave, dignified — and 
wise. What once she never suspected, now she knows. 
She has been betrayed. 

But America, traditionally resourceful, now suddenly 
agonized in the discovery of treachery at her own table, 
has out of the very anguish of her indignant horror, out 
of the very need of the hour, suddenly and adequately 
risen to her emergency. She always has done so. When 
the arms of the appointed agents of the law ever have 
wearied, she has upheld them. She has done so now, at the 
very moment of our country's greatest need. 

The story of how that was done ; how the very force of 
the situation demanded and received an instant and suffi- 
cient answer; how the civilians rallied to their own flag; 
how they came out of private life unasked, un^ummoned, 
as though at spoken command of some central power — 
that is a great and splendid story of which few ever have 
known anything at all. 

It is a great and splendid story because it verifies 
America and her intent before all the high courts of 
things. These men did obey the summons of a vast central 
power. But it was no more than the soul of America that 
spoke. It was no more than her theory of the democracy 
of mankind which issued that unwritten order to assemble 
the minute men, each armed and garbed in his own way 
and each resolved to do what he could in a new and tre- 
mendous day of Lexington. 

It was not autocracy which gave the assembly call to 



THE AWAKENING 21 

these silent legions. They mobilized themselves, so rapidly 
as to offer one of the most curious psychological problems 
of history. "Why did these men leave their homes almost 
all at once, each unknown at first to the other, in large 
part each unknown to the other even now? How did it 
come about that an army of a quarter of a million men 
enlisted themselves and then offered their services to a 
government which needed them but never had asked for 
them? How did it come that — contrary to all European 
traditions — this tremendous striking-power began at the 
bottom in our democratic war-born instinct, and worked 
upward into the Government itself, as a new institution, 
wholly unrecognized in the constitution of state or nation? 
Usually the Government issues the order for mobilization. 
But here the greatest band of minute men ever known in 
the world mobilized as though unconsciously, as though 
to some spiritual trumpet call. Having done so, it offered 
itself to the Nation's heads, saying, "Here we are. Take 
us and use us. "We ask no pay. We enlist till tlie end of 
tJie war." 

It was the spirit voice of anguished America which mo- 
bilized the American Protective League. There never was 
a time when America could lose this war. The answer was 
always written in the stars. Somewhere, high up in the 
heavens, blind Justice let fall her sword in a gesture of 
command ; and that was all. The issue of the war was 
determined from that moment. It was certain that Ger- 
many, brutal, bloody, autocratic, destructive, would be de- 
feated beyond the sea. Yes, and on this side of the sea. 

On this side, much was to be done, more than we had 
dreamed. Troubled but unparticipating, we stood aloof 
and watched the soil of all Europe redden with the blood 
of men — and of women and children. Even we still stood 
aloof, hands clenched, gasping in an enraged incredulity, 
watching the sea also — the free and open highway of the 
world, redden with the blood of men — and of women and 
children. But still we took no part, though indeed some 
of our young men could no longer stay at home and so 
enlisted under some Allied flag. 

We held in mind our ancient remoteness from all this. 
We heard still the counsel against entangling alliances. 



22 THE WEB 

And, quite aside from the idea of material profit, we tried 
to be fair and impartial in a fight that was not yet onrs, 
though every American heart bled with France and Bel- 
gium, ached in pain with that of Britain, locked in death 
grapple in her greatest war — that which must name her 
still free or forever enslaved. And from Washington came 
admonition to be calm. President Wilson's appeal went 
out again and again to the people, and whether or not it 
ever once seemed to all of us a possible thing for the 
United States to keep out of this war, at least we sought 
to do so and were advised and commanded to do so by the 
chief of our own forces. 

Whether or not we all wished to be neutral so many 
years, we officially and nationally were neutral. There- 
fore we retained our commercial rights under neutrality. 
Doing no more than Germany always previously had done, 
we made and sold arms and munitions in the open markets 
of the world. 

But Germany could not come and get her arms and muni- 
tions had she wished to do so. Great Britain had some- 
thing to say about that. Wherefore Germany hated us, 
secretly and openly — ^hated us for doing what she once had 
done but could no longer do. 

The enforcement of blockade made Germany hate us. 
Germany's psychology has always been double-faced — one 
face for herself and one for the rest of the world. The 
Austrian double-headed eagle belongs of right also on the 
German coat of arms. "What I do not wish to have done 
to me is Wrong; what I wish to do to others is Right!" 
That is the sum and substance of the German public creed 
and the German private character — and now we fairly 
may say we know them both. The German is not a sports- 
man — he does not know the meaning of that word. He 
has not in his language any word meaning "fair play." 
Nothing is fair play to a German which does not work to 
his advantage. The American neutrality in combination 
with the British blockade did not work to his advantage. 
Hence — so he thought — it was all wrong. 

The Germans began to hate America more and more. 
We did not know, at that time, that Germany had Ijeen 
planning many years for "diesen aufunsangehangten 



THE AWAKENING 23 

Krieg" — "this war forced on us!" We did not have any 
idea that she had Counted upon two million German- Ameri- 
cans to help her win this war; that she knew every nook 
and cranny of the United States and had them mapped; 
that for years she had maintained a tremendous organiza- 
tion of spies who had learned every vulnerable point of 
the American defenses, who were better acquainted with 
our Army than we ourselves were, and who had extended 
their covert activities to a degree which left them arro- 
gantly confident of their success at war, and contemptuous 
of the best that America ever could do against her. Ger- 
many never doubted that she would win this war. It was 
charted and plotted out many years in advance, move by 
move, step by step, clear through to the bloody and brutal 
end which should leave Germany commander of the world. 

Now, in the German general plan of conquest, America 
had had her place assigned to her. So long as she would 
remain passive and complaisant — so long as she would 
furnish munitions to Germany and not to England or 
France or Eussia, all well, all very good. But when, by 
any shift of the play, America might furnish supplies to 
Germany's enemies and not to Germany — ^no matter 
through whose fault — then so much the worse for America ! 
It never was intended that America shoul-d be anything 
but expansion ground for Germany, whether or not she 
remained complaisant. But if she did not — if she began 
in her own idea of neutrality to transgress Germany's two- 
headed idea of "neutrality" — that meant immediate and 
positive action against America, now, to-day, and not after 
a while and at Germany's greater leisure. 

"I shall have no foolishness from America!" said Wil- 
liam HohenzoUern to the accredited representative of this 
country in his court — ^William HohenzoUern, that same 
pitiable figure who at the final test of defeat had not the 
courage of Saul to fall on his sword, not the courage of 
a real King to die at the head of his army, but who fled 
from his army like a coward when he saw all was lost — 
even honor. His threat of a million Germans in America 
who would rise against us was not ill-based. They were 
here. They are here now, to-day. The reply to that threat, 
made by Gerard, is historic. "Majesty, let them rise. We 



24 THE WEB 

have a million lamp-posts waiting for them." And this 
herein tells the story of how the million traitors at 
America's too generous table were shown the lamp-posts 
looming. 

The German anger at America grew to the fury point, 
and she began covertly to stir herself on this side the sea. 
The rustling of the leaves began to be audible, the hiss- 
ing grew unmistakable. But America, resting on her old 
traditions, paid no attention. We heard with sympathy 
for a time the classic two-faced German- American 's v/ail, 
* ' Germany is my mother, America my wife ! How can I 
fight my mother ? ' ' The truth is that all too many German- 
Americans never cared for America at all in any tender 
or reverent way. Resting under their Kaiser's Delbrueck 
injunction never to forget the fatherland, they never were 
anything but German. They used America; they never 
loved her. They clung- to their old language, their old 
customs, and cared nothing for ours. They prospered, 
because they' would live as we would not live. It would 
be wrong to call them all bad, and folly to call them all 
good. As a class they were clannish beyond all other 
races coming here. Many who at first were openly pro- 
German became more discreet ; but of countless numbers 
of these, it is well known that at their own^ firesides and 
in supposed secrecy they privately were German, although 
in public they were American. Of Liberty bond buyers, 
many of the loudest boasters were of this ''loyal German- 
American citizenship." They really had not earned even 
the hyphen. 

Open and covert action was taken by Germany on both 
sides of the Atlantic to bring America into line. Not fear- 
ing America, nor knowing the real America a!t all, Ger- 
many did much as she liked. Outrages on the high seas 
began. All international law was cast aside by Germany 
as fully as in her invasion of Belgium. She coiuited so 
surely on success and world-conquest that she was abso- 
lutely arrogant and indifferent alike to law and to human- 
ity. The militaristic Germany began to show — brutal, 
crafty, bestial, lacking in all honor, ignorant of the word 
"fair play," callous to every appeal of humanity, wholly 
and unscrupulously selfish. "We began now to see the 



THE AWAKENING 25 

significance of that ''efficiency" of which our industrial 
captains sometimes had prated over-much. Yes, Germany- 
was efficient ! 

The strain between the two countries increased as the 
blockade tightened, and as the counter-plot of the German 
submarines developed. Then came the Lusitania. . . . 
I can not write of that. I have hated Germany since then, 
and thousands of loyal Americans join in hatred for her. 
All of good America has been at war with her at heart 
from that very day, because in America we never have 
made war on women and children. We are bound by 
every instinct to hate any nation that does, Turk, German 
or ignorant savage. 

The Lusitania was Germany's deliberate action. She 
arrogantly commanded us in a few newspaper advertise- 
ments not to sail on the Lusitania — as though she owned 
us and the sea. After the deed, she struck medals in com- 
memoration of it. German church bells rang to glorify it. 
A German holiday was created to celebrate it. German 
preachers there an>d in America preached sermons lauding 
it. It was a national act, nationally planned, nationally 
ratified. From that day we were at war. Let those who 
like, of whatever station, say ''"We are not at war with 
the German people." That is not true. The German 
people, the German rank and file, not their leaders alone, 
were back of all these deeds and ratified them absolutely 
on both sides of the Atlantic. 

From that day, too, the issue might really have been 
known. I went into the elevator of a building in my city, 
a copy of a newspaper in my hand with the black headline 
of the Lusitania across the page. The German operator of 
the elevator saw it as I turned it toward him silently. 
"Veil, they vere varned!" he said, and grinned'. 

That incident shows Germany in America, then and now, 
covert, sinister, sneering, confident, exultant. You could 
not find an answer you would dare speak to such a man. 
There is no deed that you could do. I pulled together, and 
only said, "It will cost Germany the war." And so it did. 

But we did not go to war; we tried to keep out of the 
war. The daily page of red horrors fresh from Europe 
taught us what war meant at this day of the world. 



26 THE WEB 

"Women naturally did not like the thought of casting their 
sons into that brutal hell. And then arose the female-men, 
the pacifists, forgetting their sex, forgetting their country, 
forgettmg the large and lasting game of humanity's good, 
which cannot count present cost, but must plan for the 
long game of the centuries. 

With the pacifists suddenly and silently rose the hidden 
army of German espionage and German sympathy in our 
own country, quick to see that here was their chance ! 
Millions of German gold now came pouring across to 
finance this break in America's forces. Her high ministers 
to our Government began their treachery, forgetful of all 
ambassadorial honor, perjuring themselves and their coun- 
try. The war was on, on both sides the Atlantic now. 

And still America did not know, and still America did 
not go to war. We dreaded it, held back from it, month 
after month — some, as it seems to many, wrongly and 
unhappily even did what they could to capitalize the fact 
that we were not at war. But the hidden serpent raised 
its head and began to strike — to strike so openly, in so 
long a series of overt acts, that now our civil courts and 
the great national machinery of justice in Washington 
became literally helpless in their endeavors at resistance. 

We were not at war, but war was waged against us in 
so many ways — against our lives and property — that all 
sense of security was gone. We offered as our defense 
not, as yet, our Fleet or our Army, but our Department 
of Justice. Day and night that department at Washing- 
ton, and its branches in all the great cities, in New York, 
Chicago, Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, San Francisco, 
labored to clear the constantly increasing dockets, to keep 
down the constantly increasing heaps of suspect cases. It 
was evident that America was hearing from the Kaiser's 
million Germans in America. But where were the lamp 
posts ? 

The Department of Justice found itself flooded and sub- 
merged with work in the Bureau of Investigation, collect- 
ing evidence against German spies and German law- 
breakers. It was plain what efforts now were making to 
undermine America. But the truth was, the grist was too 
much for the mill. We had never organized a system to 



THE AWAKENING 27 

handle covert and hidden war as G-ermany had done. We 
had fought in the open when, rarely, we had fought at all. 
The great mill of Justice clogged up and broke down, not 
from any inefficiency or inadequacy in average times, but 
because it never could have been predicted that "Neutral- 
ity Cases" such as these ever would be known in our 
history. In this war, giant figures only have ruled. The 
world was not prepared for them. 

The outrages went on. Germany, confident of the suc- 
cess of ruthless submarine warfare, told us when we could 
vsail, how we must mark our ships — said, sneeringly, ''Yell, 
you vas varned ! ' ' 

It had very early become plain to all Americans that we 
could not always submit to this. More and more now we 
were browbeaten and insulted. More and more also our 
hearts were wrung at the sight of splendid Prance, fighting 
gamely and proudly and silently for her life; at the lists 
of the gallant British dead; the whole story of the stag- 
gering lines of Liberty. It was plain that the great prize 
of free institutions, of human liberty itself, was about to 
be lost to the world forever. It became plain that the 
glorious traditions of America must perish, that her answer 
to humanity must be forever stilled, that she, too, must be 
included in the ruin of all the good things of the world. 
It began also to be said more and more openly that 
America would come next — that we must fight ; if not now, 
then at some later day, and perhaps without these Allies. 

So our war spirit began in the total to outweigh and 
overtop our peace spirit and our pacifist spirit and our 
hesitant spirit. "We knew we would be at war. Many of 
us deplored and do still deplore the fact that we waited 
so long in times so perilous. We lost two precious years ; 
billions in treasure, and what is immeasurably worse, mil- 
lions in lives. So much for hesitancy. 

But now, as bearing upon the purpose of this account 
of the American Protective League, it is to be kept in 
mind that for months and years the Department of Justice 
had been at war with the hidden German army here. And, 
as the Germans were pushing back the Allies over there, 
they were pushing us back here, because we were not ready 
for so unforeseen a situation. 



28 THE WEB 

What saves a country in its need? Its loyal men. What 
reinforces an army called on for sudden enlargement ? Its 
volunteers. What saved San Francisco in its days of riot 
and anarchy in 1850? Its Volunteers for law and order. 
What brought peace to Alder Gulch in 1863 when criminals 
ruled ? Its Volunteers for law and order. America always 
has had Volunteers to fight for law and order against 
criminals. The law itself says you may ai-rest without 
warrant a man caught committing a felony. The line be- 
tween formal written law and natural law is but thin 
at best. 

There was, therefore, in the spring of 1917 in America, 
the greatest menace to our country we ever had known. 
Organized criminals were in a thousand ways attacking 
our institutions, jeopardizing the safety, the very continu- 
ity of our country. No loyal American was safe. We 
did not know who were the disloyal Americans. We faced 
an army of masked men. They outnumbered us. We had 
no machinery of defense adequate to fight them, because 
we foolishly had thought that all these whom we had wel- 
comed and fed were honest in their protestations — and 
tJieir oatJis — when they came to us. 

So now, we say, an imperious cry of NEED came, wrung 
from astounded and anguished America. It was as though 
this actual cry came from the heavens, ''I need you, my 
children ! Help me, my children ! ' ' 

That cry was heard. How, it is of small importance to 
any member of the American Protective League, whose 
wireless antennae, for the time attuned, caught down that 
silent wireless from the skies. No one man sent that mes- 
sage. Almost, we might say, no one man answered it, so 
many flocked in after the first word of answer. No one 
man of the two hundred and fifty thousand who first and 
last answered in one way or another would say or would 
want to say that he alone made so large an answer to so 
large a call. None the less, we deal here with actual his- 
tory. So that now we may begin with details, begin to 
show how those first strands were woven which in a few 
weeks or months had grown into one of America's strong- 
est cables of anchorage against the terror which was 
abroad upon the sea. 



CHAPTER II 

THE WEB 

Methods of Work — Getting the Evidence — The Organ- 
ization in Detail — The Multifold Activities of the League. 

It is to Mr. A. M, Briggs of Chicago that credit should 
go for the initial idea of the American Protective League. 
The first flash came many months before the declaration 
of war, although, for reasons outlined, it long was obvious 
that we must eventually go to war. 

The Department of Justice in Chicago was in a terribly 
congested condition, and long had been, for the neutrality 
cases were piling up. 

''I could get ten times as much done if I had men and 
money to work with," said Hinton G. Clabaugh, Superin- 
tendent of the Bureau of Investigation. ''There are thou- 
sands of men who are enemies of this country and ought 
to be behind bars, but it takes a spy to catch a spy, and 
I've got a dozen spies to catch a hundred thousand spies 
right here in Chicago. They have motor cars against my 
street cars. They're supplied with all the money they 
want; my own funds are limited. We're not at war. All 
this is civil work. We simply haven't ways and means 
to meet this emergency." 

"I can get ten or twenty good, quiet men with cars 
who'll work for nothing," said Mr. Briggs one day. 
"They'll take either their business time or their leisure 
time, or both, and join forqes with you. I know we're not 
at war, but we're all Americans together." 

In that chance conversation — only we ought not to call 
it chance at all, but a thing foreordained — began the great- 
est society the world ever saw, — an army of men equipped 
with money, brains, loyalty, which grew into one of the 
main legions of our diefense. That army to-day probably 

29 



30 THE WEB 

knows more about you and your affairs than you ever 
thought anyone could know. If you were not and are not 
loyal, those facts are known and recorded, whether you 
live in New York or California or anywhere between. 

Once started, the voluntary service idea ran like wild- 
fire. It began as a free taxicab company, working for the 
most impeccable and most dignified branch, of our Govern- 
ment — that branch for which our people always have had 
the most respect. 

The ten private cars grew to two dozen. As many quiet- 
faced, silent drivers as were necessary were always ready. 
Word passed) among reliable business men, and they came 
quietly and asked what they could do. They were the 
best men of the city. They worked for principle, not for 
excitement, not in any vanity, not for any pay. It was 
the ' ' live-wires ' ' of the business world that were selected. 
They were all good men, big men, brave and able, else 
they must have failed, and else this organization never 
could have grown. It was secret, absolutely so ; clandestine 
absolutely, this organization of Regulators. But unlike the 
Vigilantes, the IQu Klux, the Horse-Thief Detectors, it took 
no punishments into its own hands. It was absolutely non- 
partisan. It had then and has now no concern with labor 
questions or political questions. It worked only as collec- 
tor of evidence. It had no governmental or legal status 
at all. It tried no cases, suggested no remedies. It simply 
found tlie facts. 

It became apparent that the City of Chicago was not all 
America. These American men had America and not Chi- 
cago at heart. Before long, five hundred men, in widely 
separated and sometimes overlapping sections, were at 
work piling up evidence against Cerman and pro-German 
suspects. These men began to enlist under them yet others. 
The thing was going swiftly, unaccountably swiftly. 
America's volunteers were pouring out. The Minute Men 
were afoot again, ready to fight. 

This was in March of 1917. Even yet we were not at 
war, though in the two years following the Lusitania mur- 
ders, the world had had more and more proof of Germany's 
heartless and dishonorable intentions. The snake was now 
out of the leaves. The issue was joined. We all knew 



THE WEB 31 

that Washington soon would, soon must, declare war. The 
country was uneasy, discontented, mutinous over the delay. 

Meantime, all these new foci of this amateur organiza- 
tion began to show problems of organization and adminis- 
tration. The several captains unavoidably lapped over 
one another in their work, and a certain loss in speed and 
efficiency rose out of this. The idea had proved good, 
but it was so good it was running away with itself! No 
set of men could handle it except under a well-matured 
and adequately-managed organization, worked out in de- 
tail from top to bottom. 

We may not place one man in this League above another, 
for all were equal in their unselfish loyalty, from private 
to general, from operative to inspector, and from inspector 
to National Directors ; but it is necessary to set down the 
basic facts of the inception of the League in order that 
the vast volume and usefulness of its labors properly may 
be understood. So it is in order now to describe how this 
great army of workers became a unit of immense, unite*d 
and effective striking power, how the swift and divers 
developments of the original idea became coordinated into 
a smooth-running machine, nation-wide in its activities. 

Now at last, long deferred — too long — came April 6, 1917. 
The black headlines smote silence at every American table. 

WAR! 

We were at War! Men did not talk much. Mothers 
looked at their sons, wives at their husbands. Thousands 
of souls had their Gethsemane that day. Now we were to 
place our own breasts against the steel of Germany. 

The cover was off. War — war to the end, now — ^war on 
both sides of the sea — war against every form and phase 
of German activity! America said aloud and firmly now, 
as, in her anguish, she had but recently whispered, '*I 
need you, my children ! ' ' And millions of Americans, many 
of them debarred from arms by age or infirmity, came 
forward, each in his 'own way, and swore the oath. 

The oath of the League spread. Not one city or state, 
but all America must be covered, and it must be done at 
once. The need of a national administration became at 
once imperative. 

In this work on the neutrality cases Mr. Clabaugh and 



32 THE WEB 

his volunteer aids often were in Washington together. 
The Department of Justice, so far from finding this 
unasked civilian aid officious, gladly hailed it as a practical 
aid of immeasurable value. It became apparent that the 
League was bound to be national in every way at no late 
day. 

All this meant money. But America, unasked, opened 
her secret purse strings. Banks, prominent firms, loyal 
individuals gave thousands and hundreds of thousands of 
dollars for a work which they knew must be done if 
America was to be safe for decent men. And so the silent 
army of which you never knew, grew and marched out 
daily. Your house, your neighbor's, was known and 
watched, guarded as loyal, circled as disloyal. The nature 
of your business and your neighbor's was known — and 
tabulated. You -do not know to-day how thoroughly 
America knows you. If you are hyphenated now, if you 
are disloyal to this flag, so much the worse for you. 

It early became plain to manufacturers and owners of 
large industrial plants of all sorts that they were in imme- 
diate danger of dynamite outrages. Many plants agreed 
to present to the League monthly a considerable checque 
to aid the work of safeguarding. Many wealthy individ- 
uals gave additional amounts. A very considerable sum 
was raise-d from the sale of badges to the operatives, it 
being explained to all that they were sold at a profit for 
the benefit of the League. At all times large amounts 
came in, raised by State or local chiefs, each of whom 
knew his own community well. On one day in October, 
1917, a call went out to 6700 members of the League to 
meet on a certain evening at Medinah Temple in Chicago, 
admission to be by credentials only. That meeting was 
addressed by Chiefs and others. In a short time $82,000 
was raised. Later on, certain bankers of national reputa- 
tion — ^F. A. Vanderlip of New York, George M. Reynolds 
of Chicago, Festus Wade of St. Louis, Stoddard Jess of 
Los Angeles, and others — sent out an appeal to the bankers 
of America in the i^iterests of the League. This perhaps 
would of itself have raised a half million more, but it 
came among Liberty Loan activities, and before it was 
fully under way, the news of the Armistice broke, which 



THE WEB 33 

automatically ended many things. But the American Pro- 
" tective League had money. It can have all the money it 
may need in any future day. 

It was not until fall of 1917 that, in answer to the 
imperious demands of the swiftly grown association, now 
numbering thousands in every State of the Union, and in 
order to get into closer touch with the Department of 
Justice, the League moved its headquarters from Chicago 
to Washington. Mr. Charles Daniel Frey of Chicago, who 
ha-d worked out with his associates the details of a per- 
fectly subdivided organization, was made Captain U. S. A. 
and liaison officer for the League 's work with the Military 
Intelligence Division of the Army, a division which itself 
had known great changes and rapid development. The 
three National Directors were now A. M. Briggs, Chair- 
man ; Captain Charles Daniel Frey, and Mr. Victor Elting, 
the latter gentleman, an attorney of Chicago, having before 
now proved himself of the utmost service in handling 
certain very tangled skeins. Mr. Elting had been Assist- 
ant Chief in Chicago, working with Mr. Frey as Chief. 
Then later came on, from his League duties in Chicago, 
Mr. S. S. Doty, a man successful in his own business 
organization and of proved worth in working out details 
of organization. Many others from Chicago, in many 
capacities, joined the personnel in Washington, and good 
men were taken on as needed and found. It would be 
cheap to attempt mention of these, but it would be wrong 
not to give some general mention of the men who actually 
had in hand the formation of the League and the conduct 
of its widely reaching affairs from that time until its close 
at the end of the war. They worked in secrecy aAd. they 
asked no publicity then or now. 

One thing must be very plain and clear. These men, 
each and all of them, worked as civilian patriots, and, 
except in a very few necessary clerical cases, without pay 
of any sort. There was no mummery about the League, 
no countersigns or grips or passwords, no rituals, no rules. 
It never was a ''secret society," as we understand that 
usually. It was — the American Protective League, deadly 
simple, deadly silent, deadly in earnest. There has been 
no glory, no pay, no publicity, no advertising, no reward 



34 THE WEB 

ill the American Protective League, except as each man's 
conscience gave him his best rewardi, the feeling that he 
had fulfilled the imperative obligations of his citizenship 
and had done his bit in the world's greatest war. 

By the time the League was in Washington, it had a 
quarter-million members. Its records ran into tons and 
tons; its clerical work was an enormous thing. 

The system, swiftly carried out, was unbelievably suc- 
cessful. An unbelievable artesian fountain of American 
loyalty had been struck. "What and how much work that 
body of silent men did, how varied and how imperatively 
essential was the work they did, how thrillingly interesting 
it became at times as the netted web caught more and 
more in its secret sweeping, must be takeii up in later 
chapters. 

As to the total volume of the League's work, it never 

■ will be known, and no figures will ever cover it more than 

impartially. It handled in less than two years, for the War 

Department alone, over three million cases. It spent millions 

lot dollars. It had a quarter million silent and resolute 

I men on its rolls. These men were the best of their com- 

' munities. They did not work for pay. They worked 

for duty, and worked harder than a like number in any 

army of the world. Some of the things they did, some of 

the astonishing matters they uncovered, some of the 

strange stories they unearthed, will be taken up in order 

in the pages following, and in a way more specifically 

informing than has hitherto been attempted. 

The League totals are tremendous, but the trouble with 
totals is that they do not enter into comprehension. A 
million dollars means little as a phrase, if left barren of 
some yard-stick for comparative measurement. Thus, 
when we say that long ago the number of suspect cases 
investigated by the American Protective League had passed 
the three-million mark, we hail the figures as grandiose, 
but have no personal idea of what they mean, no accurate 
conception of the multitude, the nature and the multi- 
. plicity in detail of the three million separate and distinct 
cases. It is when we begin to go into details as to the 
work and its organization from unit to block, from opera- 
tive to chief, that we begin to open our eyes. 



THE WEB 35 

The government of this country had had thrown on it 
all at once a burden a thousand times as great as that of 
times of peace. We had to raise men and money, muni- 
tions, food, fuel for ourselves and all the world. We were 
not prepared. We had to learn all at once the one and 
hardest thing — one which America never yet had learned — 
economy. We had to do all the active and positive mate- 
rial things necessary to put an Army in the field across 
seas — build ships, fabricate ordnance, arm large bodies of 
men, train them, feed them, get their fighting morale on 
edge. 

Yes, all these things — but this was only part. Our nega- 
tive defense, our silent forces also had to be developed. 
We had to learn economy — and suspicion. That last was 
hard to learn. Just as delay and breakdowns happened 
in other branches of the suddenly overloaded government, 
so a breakdown in the resources of the Department of Jus- 
tice — ^least known but most valuable portion of our nation's 
governmental system — ^was a thing imminent. That was 
because of the swift multiplication of the list of entirely 
new things that had to be looked into with justice, and 
yet with speed. It is not too much to say that without 
the inspired idea of the American Protective League, its 
Web spread out behind the lines, there could not long have 
been said in the full confidence of to-day, **Grod reigns, 
and the Government at Washington still lives." 

Besides being an auxiliary of the Department of Justice, 
the League was the active ally also of the Department of 
War, of the Navy, of the State, of the Treasury. It worked 
for the Shipping Board, the Fuel and Foo<i Administra- 
tions, and the Alien Property Custodian. It ran down, in 
its less romantic labors, sugar-allowance violators, violators 
of the gasless-Sunday laws, the lightless-day laws, violators 
of the liquor laws, as well as the large offenders — the spies 
who got internment or the penitentiary as the penalty of 
getting caught. All these large and small activities may 
be understood by a glance at the report-sheet of any divi- 
sion chief. The heads and sub-heads will show the differ- 
entiation. The chart following this chapter will show the 
method of organizing the League's personnel which was used 
in practically all the great cities. The table of dates which 



36 THE WEB 

immediately follows, sets forth in outline the League's early 
history, and indicates the rapidly broadening character of 
the League's work. 

EARLY DATES OF THE AMERICAN 
PROTECTIVE LEAGUE 

January 25, 1917 First Call by Mr. Clabaugh. 

February 2, 1917 Second Call by Mr. Clabaugh (for 

automobiles). 

February 2 to 25, 1917 Automobiles and Plans. 

February 25, 1917 Submitted Plan. 

March 1, 1917 Plan Endorsed and Forwarded to 

Washington. 

March 15, 1917 Invited to Washington. 

March 22, 1917 League Authorized. 

March 22, 1917 New York Division Started. 

March 22 to 26, 1917 Organizing in Chicago. 

March 26, 1917 Chicago Division Started. 

March 27, 1917 Milwaukee Division Started. 

March 29, 1917 St. Louis Division Started. 

April 6, 1917 State of War with Germany 

Acknowledged. 

April 9, 1917 Philadelphia Division Started. 

November 1, 1917 Board of National Directors Organ- 

ized. 

November 15, 1917 National Headquarters Established 

in Washington. 

This will close a brief and necessarily incomplete review 
of the widely ramified nature of that Web which America 
made over night in her time of need. 

There was also a confidential pamphlet, originally sent 
only to members, which elaborates and makes clear the 
basic purposes of the League, whose personnel and methods 
already have been covered. It is given in full as Appendix 
B. A great" historic interest attaches to this document, 
which tells the complete inside story of the League and 
the manner in which it first was organized for its work. 
It is not necessary to say that this now appears before the 
eyes of the general public for the first time. 

Lastly, there is for the first time made public the solemn 
oath taken by each member of the American Protective 



THE WEB 37 

7 

League. Years hence, this page will have historic value. 
It records one of the most singular phenomena of the 
American civilization. 

THE OATH OF MEMBERSHIP 

I, , a member of the Ameri- 
can Protective League, organized with the approval and 
operating under the direction of the United States Department 
of Justice, Bureau of Investigation, do hereby solemnly swear: 

That I am a citizen of the United States of America; and 
that I will uphold and defend the Constitution and Laws of 
the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, 
and will bear true faith and allegiance to the same at all 
times as a true and loyal citizen thereof. 

That I will give due time and diligent attention to such 
service as I shall undertake to render; and that I will execute 
promptly and to the best of my ability the commands of my 
superiors in connection therewith. 

That I will in all respects observe the rules and regulations, 
pi-esent and future, of this organization; and that I will 
promptly report to my superiors any and all violations thereof, 
and all information of every kind and character and from 
,^ whatever source derived, tending to prove hostile or disloyal 
acts or intentions on the part of any person whatsoever and 
all other information of any kind of interest or value to the 
Government. 

That I will not, except in the necessary performance of my 
duty, exhibit my credentials or disclose my membership in this 
organization; and that I will not disclose to any person other 
than a duly authorized Government official or officer of this 
organization, facts and information coming to my knowledge in 
connection with its work. 

That the statement on the opposite side hereof, by me sub- 
scribed, is true and correct. 

That I take this obligation freely, without any mental 
reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and 
faithfully discharge my duties, as a volunteer for the defense 
and preservation of the United States of America. 
SO HELP ME GOD 



CHAPTER III 

EARLY DAYS OF THE LEAGUE 

"D. J." and "A. P. L."— The Personal Statement of the 
Chicago Division Superintendent of the U. S. Bureau of 
Investigation — Early Days of the League — The Nation 
Unprepared — Swift Rallying of the Minute Men. 

''Without exaggeration, I tJiink tlie Chicago Division of 
the American Protective League did seventy-five per cent 
of the Government investigating work of the Chicago dis- 
trict throughout the period of the war. It seems to me that 
this one sentence covers the situation." — Hiiiton G.^ Cla- 
baugh, Chicago Agent, U. S, Department of Justice. 

In previous pages a general outline of the birth and 
growth of the American Protective League has been given, 
with a general statement also as to its wide usefulness 
in the exigencies of the tremendous days of the world 
war. There will be, however, many thousands of the mem- 
bers of the League, and a like number of the lay public, 
who will be curious as to the specific and more personal 
facts surrounding the early days of the organization. Such 
facts are part of the country's history as well as that of 
the League, and therefore ought to be recorded, and 
recorded accurately and indisputably. 

Mr. Hinton G. Clabaugh, division superintendent of the 
Bureau of Investigation of the U. S. Department of Justice, 
was asked for a written brief, historically covering the 
joint activities of the Department of Justice and its A. P. L. 
auxiliary in Chicago during the early period of the war. 
The admirably comprehensive record which Mr. Clabaugh 
has furnished appears in this volume as Appendix A. 

No statement of facts and figures, however, or of dates 
and details, can really cover the story of the American 
Protective League. It has a character and a history which 

38 



EARLY DAYS OF THE LEAGUE 39 

refuse to classify or to run parallel with other organiza- 
tions. It was an idea born out of a vast necessity, and 
its growth seemed to be a thing apart from ordinary busi- 
ness methods. Indee-d, it sprang into such rapid stature 
that in large part its officers followed it rather than led it. 
It was almost sporadic in a thousand towns, so quickly 
did the achievement of organization follow the realization 
of the need. Thereafter came the days of national organ- 
ization, of system, patience, perseverance, and efficiency, 
which made it a well-knit power in all parts of the 
country. 

It was Mr. Clabaugh's privilege to have lent aid and en- 
couragement in the days when the League was not yet a 
reality, the early days when all was nebulous, when no 
one knew anyone else, and when cases were pouring into 
D. J. that had to be handled in the best way possible and 
at the first moment possible. 

The A. P. L. has always served the regular organization 
of the law, has always worked with or under the super- 
vision of the D. J. bureau chief nearest at hand, and, 
indeed, never pretended to do more than that. But this 
cooperation and interlocking of forces was an easier thing 
for D. J. superintendents elsewhere, later in the game, after 
A. P. L. had become an accepted success all over the 
country. 

It was at the very beginning that the greatest difficulties 
had to be met, and it was during these early troubled days 
of the League that its history became inseparably linked 
with that of the Chicago bureau of the Department of Jus- 
tice. Set down in a seething center of alien activity — for 
so we may justly call Chicago in the early days of this 
war — with only a handful of men to rely on, with no laws, 
no precedents, no support, no help, no past like to the pres- 
ent, and no future that could be predicated on anything 
that had gone before, Mr. Clabaugh's bureau was the first 
to get swamped with the neutrality cases — and the first 
to be offered counsel, friendship, support, help, money, men 
and methods, all in quality and amount fitted to win the 
day for him at once. The Clabaugh story, therefore, is the 
most important one told by any bureau chief, and it is 
historically indispensable. 



40 THE WEB 

It is all very well to have confidence in our government 
and to believe in a general way that it cannot err and 
cannot fail, bnt government in peace and government in 
war times are two distinct and separate propositions. The 
sheer truth is that there was absolutely no arm or branch 
of our government which was prepared for war. In part, 
we never did get prepared for it, so far as essential equip- 
ment of a military sort is concerned. In artillery, in aero- 
planes, in various sorts of munitions and of equipment, we 
were not ready for war when .the Armistice was signed. 
We had no adequate military or intelligence system, and 
the splendid force built up as M. I. D. was built after the 
war was begun and not before. In the same way — al- 
though, of course, we had the American faiths and respect 
for our courts, believing them to be in some way supernal 
institutions which could not err and which needed no atten- 
tion on the part of the people — our judiciary also was 
unprepared for war. It never would have been prepared 
for war — never in the world — had it not been for the 
American Protective League. It is certainly a most 
curious, almost an uncanny story, how the Mmute Men of 
America once more saved the day, responding instantly to 
a great national need, not knowing overmuch of this new 
game, but each resolved to fight — each, if you please, re- 
solving in unheroic and undramatic way — in much the 
same frame of mind of those men at Verdun who wrote 
on the page of martial history the clarion phrase, ''They 
shall not pass ! " 

The enemy did not pass in Chicago, nor in New York, 
nor in San Francisco, nor in any place between. Not 
prepared — a whole nation in shirtsleeves at the plow — we 
became prepared. We fought with one hand, v/hile, with 
the other, we buttoned on the new tunic for which we had 
not yet been measured, and in Army, Navy, Aviation, In- 
telligence, Supply, Motor Transport and Department of 
Justice, we learned as we fought — and won. The organ- 
ization of the American Protective League reveals a curious 
phase of life in this republic. It could not have taken 
place in any other country of the world. 

"A word as to the Chicago organization is in order," 
says the writer of this first report of D. J. on A. P. L. 



H 



"AMERICAN PROTECTIVE LEAGUE~ 



I EXECUTIVE COMMITTI-E I 



CHIEF 
ASSISTANT CHIEF 

and 
Six Nfcn.hrrs 



MOTOR SERVICE 



1 


Motor .Sci«u'c lor 
TrdilsiKui of S^il- 




t w Limi- I 



i;iN Ml.lllllANllIM 




1 






Mill 1 )■,!.■. M.i.i'x. 
M.io •.«, Sl.Ht. 
Wli..lr<ilrii 





'IikIikIci Aulomuliiln, Duildinn Milcriiil, 
( H^jr». fojl, C'unifuc'itin, l^iillier, Mijlioii 
IVlu.r,. I'4|,r, rf..lc.. l'lu.l..Kr.Ml.rr.. 
frirKT. jii.l |.:ii|i,j,or.. 



EARLY DAYS OF THE LEAGUE 41 

"The work of the League was presumed to be to report 
matters of a disloyal nature that came to the attention 
of the members and to see that they were brought to the 
attention of the proper Government officials. However, 
the work of the agents of the Bureau itself increased so 
rapidly at this time that it was a physical impossibility 
for the small number to handle the same, and by degrees 
members of the League who showed aptitude for the work 
were called upon to assist the agents of the Bureau. Grad- 
ually, more and more work was thrown on the League until 
practically all complaints coming to tJie Bureau hy mail were 
turned over to tlie League for tliem to investigate." 

If, -during the later months of the war, you had visited 
the Department of Justice in the Federal Building in Chi- 
cago, you would have found extensive and well-equipped 
offices, ably manned and humming with activity. Yet the 
Chicago department, though large in personnel and effi- 
cient in administration, was greatly overworked in this 
hotbed of pro-German and enemy spy activity. 

After leaving the Federal Building, let us say, you had 
also decided to visit the headquarters of the volunteer 
organization in Chicago. Less than a block away from the 
federal offices, in a stately building given over entirely to 
the housing of organizations whose sole aim and purpose 
was the Avinning of the war, you would have found a set 
of offices as large, as well equipped, as full of filed records, 
and of as able a personnel as those, of the U. S. bureau. 
There would be this difference : the latter offices — those 
of the American Protective League — were run by men who 
got no pay — and there were almost one hundred times as 
many of them as there were of the D. J. workers. Yet 
the two great organizations are parts of the same system, 
and have worked together in perfect harmony and mutual 
benefit. Together, they have hel-d German crime and 
espionage helpless in Chicago all through the war. 

Of course, the tremendously expensive operations of so 
large a secret service organization could be met only by 
large-handed voluntary giving on the part of private cit- 
izens. For instance, the office rent alone of the A. P. L. 
in Chicago ran into thousands of dollars monthly. It v/as 
all carried by one public utility concern, the Com- 



42 THE WEB 

monwealth Edison Company, whicli turned over the 
needed space in a building whicli formerly housed its own 
offices. It is a part of the private history of the Depart- 
ment of Justice, scarcely if ever mentioned, that long be- 
fore the idea of the American Protective League was 
broached — indeed, at the time when we had just severed 
diplomatic relations with Germany — Mr. Samuel Insull, 
afterward Chairman of the State Council of Defense for 
Illinois, callc'd on Mr. Clabaugh and offered financial aid 
to the Bureau of Investigation. He said: '*I know how 
meager your resources are, and I believe there is a lot of 
trouble not far ahead. Let me know if you need men or 
money, and I'll see that you get both." This, of course, 
had nothing to do with the later organization of the 
League, nor with the idea on which it is based, but Mr. 
Clabaugh always has said that Mr, Insull was the first 
private citizen to his knowledge to offer financial aid to the 
U. S. Government. 

The public has heard more of " D. J." than it has of 
** A. P. L." for obvious reasons. Of the two great office 
systems, one has been running for many years as a 
known part of the Federal Government. The other was 
two years old, and was always secret in its work and 
personnel. If it ever were a question of credit or * ' glory, ' ' 
the palm must go and has gone to the Federal arm, because 
that is where the denouements of cases had their home, 
and where publication of the printable facts originated. 
A. P. L. carried the evidence to the door of D. J. and 
stopped. It started cases, but did not finish them. 

The public never had more than a very vague idea of 
the workings of the vast duo-fold machine which held life 
and property in America so safe in the dangerous days of 
the war. For instance, the average man reading news- 
paper mention of Mr. Clabaugh 's activities as bureau head, 
usually thought of him as public prosecutor. He was not 
that. It was his duty, as it was the League's duty, only to 
procure testimony. His work was not of the legal branch, 
and he himself never has been admitted to the bar, al- 
though he — with his auxiliary, A. P. L. — has won the 
largest and most stubbornly fought criminal cases in the 
history of the country, and is devoutly feared to-day by 
countless I. W. W. 's not yet arrested. 



EARLY DAYS OF THE LEAGUE 43 

The story of all these curiously interactive agencies, 
official and amateur, is indeed the greatest detective story 
in the world, and it is very difficult to measure it in full, 
or to visualize it in detail, so simply did it all happen, so 
naturally, so swiftly and so much as a matter of course. 
There is no like proof in history of the ability of the 
American people to govern itself and to take care of itself. 
Mr. Clabaugh's vivid and accurate story will bear out all 
these statements, and it is requested that it be read by 
all who wish a clear and consecutive acquaintance with the 
history of the American Protective League. Attention is 
again called to it as printed in full in Appendix A. 



CHAPTER IV 

THE LEAGUE IN WASHINGTON 

Summary of the League's Results Throughout the United 
States — Report of the National Directors — Facts, Fig- 
/ ures and Totals for All the Divisions. ^ 

Facts now may be made public property wbich. until 
lately might not have been divulged. We therefore shall 
find profit now in studying the central organization by 
means of which the aroused Americans combined to fight 
the hidden forces of their unscrupulous enemy. The origin 
and growth, the general plans and methods of the Amer- 
ican Protective League, have been explained ; and it will 
now be well, before we pass on to the specific story of the 
League's activities, to give some idea of the wide-reaching 
consolidation of those activities which follovv^ed upon the 
establishment of the National Headquarters. 

The report of any of^cial may seem dry and formal, but 
the records should be made to show how America's ama- 
teur Scotland Yard organized to fight the forces of Ger- 
many all over America. This portion of the League's 
story is therefore of great value to anyone desirous of 
knowing the logical steps by which the League developed 
into a truly national institution. 

The liaison officer of the National Directors, Captain 
Charles Daniel Frey, made his report and summary of 
November, 1918, to Colonel K. C. Masteller of the General 
Staff, Chief of the negative branch of the Military Intel- 
ligence Division. This report was a general assembling 
of the national activities of the League up to the time of 
the signing of the Armistice. Certain extracts are made 
in consonance with the general outline above indicated. 
It should be noted that this report covers only a portion 
of the League's work in Washington. The Department of 

44 




THE LEAGUE IN WASHINGTON 45 

Justice figures, as was to be expected, exceeded those of 
any other branch of the League's work. The War Depart- 
ment totals were also very high — evidence of service 
renderedi by the League which the War Department al- 
ways has been very courteous and grateful in acknowledg- 
ing. Captain Frey's report reads: 

Sir: In compliance with your request, we beg to submit the 
following statement of service rendered the War Department 
by the American Protective League. As you know, local 
divisions of the League are in operation in practically all 
towns and cities of substantial size throughout the United 
States, and the League has been extended, through a plan of 
county organization, generally throughout the rural commu- 
nities. It is not possible to submit to you an accurate classified 
statement of the aggregate of all of the work done through- 
out the country. We are able, however, to present a general 
statement of the activities of the League for the War Depart- 
ment of the United States, with a detailed report of the work 
of the local divisions in one hundred communities of the coun- 
try. The total population of these communities is approxi- 
mately one-seventh of the population of the entire country. 
The work of the American Protective League for the Mil- 
itary Intelligence Division of the War Department began soon 
after the entry of the United States into the war. When the 
National Headquarters of the League were established in Wash- 
ington in November, 1917, the National Directors conferred 
with Colonel R. H. Van Deman regarding a plan for wider 
service throughout the entire country. One of the National 
Directors was commissioned in the army, assigned to the Mil- 
itary Intelligence Division and detailed to the work of the 
League. In April, 1918, a department of the League was in- 
stalled in the Military Intelligence Division, and since then the 
work has constantly grown in volume. A Captain in the 
Military Intelligence is now in charge, and at the present time 
thirty-six employes are working in the Section. 

The increase in the volume of work is clearly shown by the 
records. Investigations directed by the Section in May, 1918, 
numbered 819; in June, 1777; in July, -2382; in August, 3617; 
in September, 6736; and in October, 6604. These investigations 
^ were of applicants for overseas service for the Y. M. C. A., 
Red Cross, Knights of Columbus, Jewish Welfare, Salvation 
Army, and other civilian organizations; of applicants for com- 
missions and employment in various Departments of the 
Army, including the Quartermaster Department, Surgeon Gen- 



46 THE "WEB 

eral's Office, Department of Aeronautics, Ordnance Depart- 
ment, Signal Corps, Army Chaplain Service, Chemical Warfare 
Service, etc. They also included investigations on counter- 
espionage matters, German propaganda, deserters, slackers and 
various other miscellaneous cases, all of which was made at 
the direct request of the heads of the different sections of the 
Military Intelligence Division at Washington. 

The character of this work differs In no way from that of the 
Department of Military Intelligence having to do with Nega- 
tive Intelligence. In the one hundred local divisions referred 
to, the number of cases investigated and reported upon were 
62,888, and upon the percentage basis, the number handled 
throughout the country would be 440,216. 

The League has likewise exerted itself in enlisting the aid of 
the public in reporting enemy activities, disloyalties and 
evasions of the war statutes. In various cities, bulletins have 
been posted in prominent places, including street cars, office 
buildings and places of public gathering, requesting citizens to 
report to the American Protective League all such cases com- 
ing to their knowledge. Much important information resulted 
from this practice. 

Because of the fact that the members of the League continue 
to follow their daily vocations and maintain their normal con- 
nections with the community, they are afforded unusual oppor- 
tunities for the investigation of radical organizations of all 
kinds. The League has been able to introduce members into 
all of the more important organizations, and to report upon 
their policies and activities as well as upon the activities of 
individual members. The number of investigations of this 
character carried on in the one hundred divisions referred to 
were 3,645; or 25,515 for the entire country. As most of these 
were extended, and in many cases involved a complete report 
upon the local organization as a whole, the figures represent 
a very considerable amount of work. Under this heading are 
Included investigations of the I. W. W., the W. I. I. U., pacifist 
organizations of many kinds, the Peoples Council, the League 
of Humanity, the Non-Partisan League, the Russellites and 
certain Socialistic movements. Sabotage investigations and 
conscientious objectors are also included. 

In connection with the development of the overseas service 
of the Red Cross, Y. M. C. A., Knights of Columbus, Jewish 
Welfare, Salvation Army and other civilian organizations of 
like character, the necessity jarose for the careful investigation 
of the character, history and connections of civilian applicants 
to such service. Fortunately, the Military Intelligence finally 
took over the entire work of passing upon the character and 



THE LEAGUE IN WASHINGTON 47 

loyalty of applicants, and relieved the League of the responsibil- 
ity of directly advising the organizations concerned of the 
outcome of the investigations. The Military Intelligence then 
called upon the League as its agent to make the larger part 
of the investigations. By this method the name of the inves- 
tigator and of the individual responsible for the decision 
remains undisclosed, and the judgment is in that sense im- 
personal. 

The League likewise made investigations of a large number 
of applicants for commissions in various Divisions of the 
War Department, including applicants for Chaplaincies. 

Investigations as to character and loyalty reached a very 
large total. The number aggregates 30,166, including certain 
investigations made prior to the establishment of the League 
section in the Military Intelligence Division at Washington. 

On January 12, 1918, the National Directors issued a bulletin 
calling upon all local divisions to make full report upon the 
rumors, current in their communities, which were harmful to 
the interest of the United States in the prosecution of the 
war. As a result of this inquiry, a large amount of informa- 
tion was gathered, complete copies of which were turned 
over to the Military Intelligence Division for its files. 

In view of the fact that a large number of members of the 
American Protective Leagi:e enlisted in the military service 
or were Inducted into the draft, the League was requested by 
the Military Intelligence Division to procure the names of all 
such men, with their record, in order that the Military In- 
telligence might avail itself of their services within the mil- 
itary forces if it so desired. 

In addition to the foregoing, miscellaneous investigations 
for the Military Intelligence were carried on in considerable 
volume. These included cases of impersonation of army oflB- 
cers, vis6 of passports, bribery, theft and embezzlement, and 
a variety of other cases. These miscellaneous investigations 
in the local divisions referred to aggregate 19,556, or 136,892 
for the country at large. 

On June 5, 1917, the date of the first registration, approx- 
imately eighty thousands of members of the League throughout 
the country assisted at the registration polls, giving advice 
and assistance to registrants under the law and aiding the 
officials in all possible ways. In the larger cities, particularly 
those with large foreign born populations, great congestion 
resulted because of the ignorance of the laAV and its pro- 
visions on the part of registrants, and because of the diffi- 
culty in ascertaining and transcribing correctly their names 
and other information regarding them. The number of places 



48 THE WEB 

for registration proved insufficient because of the shortness 
of the hours, and in many places great confusion resulted. 
Acting under proper instructions, members of the League in 
large numbers served as volunteer registrants under the direc- 
tion of the officials. 

On February 6, 1918, the Provost Marshal General and the 
Attorney General of the United States united in a request to 
the American Protective League to cooperate with all local 
and district exemption boards throughout the United States 
in locating and causing to present themselves to the proper 
authorities delinquents under the Selective Service Regula- 
tions, including those classed as deserters. Thereupon each 
local division assigned certain members to the Local and Dis- 
trict Boards within its jurisdiction. These activities are of 
many varieties and include the investigation of Board Mem- 
bers, conspiracies and bribery, conspiracies to obstruct the 
draft, draft evasion in all forms, fraudulent attempts at de- 
ferred classification, false claims for exemption, failures to 
report for examination, failures to report for mobilization, 
failures to file questionnaires, failures to register, failures to 
secure final classification, failures to notify local boards of 
changes in address, failures to ascertain present status from 
the Local Board, failures to entrain, and all other alleged 
infractions of the regulations. These investigations made by 
the one hundred local divisions total 323,349. Upon a per- 
centage basis, the cases handled throughout the country would 
total 2,263,443, and including the slacker raids, an enormous 
figure which cannot well be estimated. 

Many investigations under the Local Boards were made 
with extreme difficulty because of the confusion in the spell- 
ing of names, inaccurate records and constantly shifting 
addresses due to the roaming character of the individual. 
We believe that the Provost Marshal General's office will 
confirm the statement that the number of delinquents and 
deserters of this character is very great, possibly exceeding 
two hundred thousands, a group recruited mostly from 
laborers, harvesters and the other ranks of homeless un- 
skilled labor. Members of the League have given a great 
amount of time and energy to these cases. 

During the two or three months following the day of first 
registration, a general effort was made by local divisions of 
the League in the principal cities to run down those indi- 
viduals within the draft age who had failed to register on 
June 5, 1917. In Chicago, a city-wide drive was made during 
which all stations of the railroads entering Chicago wei^e 
covered by League operators, and the downtown or loop dis- 



THE LEAGUE IN WASHINGTON 49 

trict was likewise patroled. This was the first organized 
effort on a large scale to enforce the regulations. Subse- 
quently similar action was taken in other cities. 

In the early summer and fall of 1918 many slacker drives 
were conducted throughout the country. They were made 
under the direction of the officials of the Department of Jus- 
tice with the active assistance of the Local Divisions of the 
American Protective League. Effective drives occurred in 
Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis, Philadelphia, New York, Chi- 
cago, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Davenport, Dayton and many 
cities of lesser size throughout the country. 

As a result of a single drive in one city, according to the 
report of the Division Superintendent of the Bureau of In- 
vestigation of the Department of Justice, approximately five 
hundred men were sent to camp as deserters and four thousand 
delinquents were apprehended. These drives as a whole 
were carried on with the acquiescence and with the gen- 
eral satisfaction of the public at large, and with the min- 
imum of embarrassment to the individuals concerned. The 
New York city drive presented an exception where certain 
difficulties arose. 

As a result of these drives, several hundred thousand men 
were examined throughout the country; tens of thousands 
who had failed to comply with the requirements of the Selec- 
tive Service Regulations were compelled to go to their Dis- 
trict Boards to make good their delinquencies, and many 
thousand delinquents and deserters were inducted into the 
army who otherwise might have escaped service. 

Members of the League have apprehended many camp de- 
serters and soldiers absent without leave. They have inves- 
tigated thousands of requests for furloughs where the soldier 
claimed illness at home or made other claims. Many fraudu- 
lent requests were uncovered by these investigations. These 
investigations, in the one hundred divisions referred to, num- 
ber 3,478. 

Early in April, 1918, the National Directors conferred with 
Mr. Fosdick and other officials of the Department of Training 
Camp activities, and with the officials of the Department of 
Justice, with regard to developing a plan for the successful 
enforcement of Section 13 of the Selective Service Act and 
the regulations thereunder, — the section referred to having 
to do with the protection of the military and naval forces 
of the United States from the evil influences of vice and pros- 
titution in the vicinity of the camps. . In the one hundred 
divisions referred to, the number of investigations was 5,866, 
or in the country at large, 41,062. 



50 THE WEB 

In addition to the foregoing, the reports from local divis- 
ions indicate that they have made a large number of investi- 
gations of a general character for the War Department, in- 
cluding a variety of subjects. Mention should also be made of 
a considerable amount of service rendered to the Foreign 
Recruiting Missions in locating slackers and deserters and 
in making miscellaneous investigations of individuals. 

On March 18, 1918, the Military Intelligence Branch of the 
War Department requested the American Protective League 
to procure for that Department, for immediate use for intel- 
ligence purposes, photographs, drawings and descriptions of 
bridges, buildings, towns and localities, then occupied by the 
German forces in France, Belgium and Luxemburg, and like- 
wise in that portion of Germany lying west of a line running 
north and south through Hamburg. In compliance with 
that request. National Headquarters issued a bulletin to all 
Local Divisions, calling upon the entire organization of the 
League throughout the country to engage in the work, and 
prescribing a detailed method for carrying it on. The result 
of the work, and the appreciation of the Military Intelli- 
gence Branch, was expressed to the League in a letter from 
Lieutenant Colonel Coxe, under date of June 11, 1918, in which 
he quotes a letter from Colonel Nolan, chief of the Military 
Intelligence Force abroad, to the effect that the material 
contained much information of value and that "the citizens of 
the United States who donated the above articles and the 
League which collected them have done something which def- 
initely helps toward the success of the operations of our 
army." 

Summing up the actual investigations made by the Amer- 
ican Protective League in the one hundred local divisions 
referred to, the grand total of cases reported by these divisions 
is 448,950. As has been shown, the jurisdiction of these divi- 
sions embraces approximately one-seventh of the whole pop- 
ulation of the country covered by all of the local divisions of 
the League, and while some of the work reported by the one 
hundred divisions is not duplicated elsewhere, yet the re- 
verse is true, and it may fairly be said that the entire num- 
ber of cases handled by the League for the War Department 
throughout the country is seven times the above figure, or 
more than three million. 

In conclusion, we beg to state that it has been the policy to 
cooperate with all local. State and Federal departments in 
enforcing the war laws of the United States. Our Local 
Chiefs have been able to establish cordial relations with all 
local police, sheriffs, fish and game wardens, fire wardens, 



THE LEAGUE IN WASHINGTON 51 

and other oflBcials whose assistance has been invaluable in 
many cases, and have likewise gained the friendly interest 
and support of County and State oflQcials generally as well as 
of the Judicial Departments. 

We have not attempted to set forth in this communication 
the volume of work done for the Department of Justice. 

A very prominent phase of work in which the A. P. L. 
was of use to the War Department is covered very well by 
the comment of the Department of Justice regarding the 
law under which the American Army was raised : 

The most important of the war laws is the selective-service 
act. Cases under this act are of three general kinds — first, 
the violation of the act by the military eligibles themselves; 
that is, the failure to register in accordance with the regis- 
tration system under the draft, the failure to file a question- 
naire, the making of false exemption claims, the failure to 
report for examination, etc. As soon as a man becomes a 
deserter, he comes under the jurisdiction of the military 
authorities and is turned over to them. Up to that point, 
however, if he does not fully comply with the law and the 
Selective-Service Regulations, he is subject to prosecution 
by this department. As the main object of the law is the 
raising of an army and not the filling of a prison, the depart- 
ment seeks to deliver to the military authorities for military 
service all offenders subject to military service and physically 
fit therefor, except those who willfully and rebelliously refuse 
military service and can be subjected to substantial punish- 
ment. 

The second class of cases concerns the acts of those who, not 
themselves subject to military service, induce violations of 
the act, such as making false exemption claims for others, 
inducing others to resist military service or evade the law. 
This classification also includes violations of duty on the 
part of members of the exemption boards. 

The third class of cases relates to the violation of those 
sections which aim to protect training and mobilization 
camps from the evil influence of the liquor traffic or pros- 
titution within the neighborhood of the camp. The first class 
of cases has thrown upon the representatives of this depart- 
ment throughout the country an immense amount of work. 
This work has consisted in part of prosecuting deliberate 
violations of the law. In far larger measure, however, it 
has consisted in locating, apprehending, and delivering to 
local boards or Army officials many thousands of men who 



52 THE WEB 

for various reasons have failed to appear for physical ex- 
amination, failed to file questionnaires, etc. Bown to July 
1, 1918, the devartment had thus investigated 220,747 cases 
of this character and caused induction into military service 
oj 23,439 men. 

A curious personal quality attaches to the study of the 
work of the American Protective League, which is perhaps 
attributable to the fact that all the members were amateurs 
only and altogether unpaid. No doubt, did space andj for- 
mal limitations permit, a very widespread comment on the 
personal relations of the members of the League to the 
League itself would be acceptable to many readers. 
Within the limits available, however, a certain martial 
severity and impersonality must be employed. None the 
less, there ought to be some brief mention made of the work 
of the National Directors after the establishment of the 
"Washington office. In this connection it is fitting that the 
names of those men should be mentioned who labored so 
earnestly and so well to make the work of A. P. L. of vital 
importance in the winning of the war. 

NATIONAL DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS OF ADMINISTRA- 
TION OF THE AMERICAN PROTECTIVE LEAGUE 

A. M. Briggs, Chair^nan 
Charles Daniel Frey 
Victor Elting 

National Directors Novem'ber, 1917 

S. S. Doty 

In charge Bureau of Organization February, 1918 

Captain George P. Braun, Jr. 

In charge Bureau of Investigation June, 1918 

Charles F. Lorenzen 

In charge Bureau of Investigation September, 1918 

James D. Stover 

In charge Bureau of Administration September, 1918 

Daniel V. Casey 

Editor of The Spy Glass May, 1918 

Lieutenant Urban A. Lavery 

In charge A. P. L. branch at Military 

Intelligence April, 1918 

Captain John T. Evans 

In charge A. P. L. 'branch at Military 

Intelligence September, 1918 



THE LEAGUE IN WASHINGTON 53 

The enormous growth of the American Protective League 
in so short a time is sufficient evidence in itself that a vast, 
pressing need existed for the service it rendered. Indeed, 
the great local activity of the League became a national 
activity in record time. Reports piled in from all over the 
country ; the detail of correspondence became enormous ; the 
filing of records an endless task. All at once the National 
Directors of the American Protective League found they 
had taken over a business — one of the largest businesses 
with which any one of them had ever been identified. It 
would not be too much to say that they worked day and 
night for a long period. Their task was a very heavy one, 
but they brought to it a knowledge of large business affairs 
and a quality of perseverance which saw them through. 

The original headquarters of the League were at 1537 Eye 
Street, Northwest, an old Washington residence — a quaint 
and none too convenient business home. All the directors 
lived in the upper part of this building, and such was the 
crowded and impractical form of Washington life at the 
time that they were glad to sleep and sometimes cook their 
me^-ls in the same building where they did their work. Such 
a thing as rest or leisure were unknown for two years' time. 
No one who has not been in part acquainted with Washing- 
ton in war times knows the handicap under which all such 
work needed to be done. Transportation, living accommo- 
dations, clerical help — everything, in that period of the war, 
became a problem or an obstacle of a very considerable sort. 
It was faith and enthusiasm which carried these men through, 
as was the case with their associates all over America. 

So, gradually, from this central office, the web of the 
American Protective League was extended until it reached 
into every state and territory of the Union, and until each 
line of communication was one of interchange of intelligence 
from and to the central headquarters. It is only by refer- 
ence to the portion of this history marked as ''The Four 
Winds ' ' — showing briefs of reports from all over the Union 
— that any just knowledge can be gained of the tremendous 
volume of work done by the central headquarters. Nor does 
the assemblage offered give more than a mere indication of 
that volume, because thousands of reports have, for reasons 
of space, received no notice whatever, unfair as that must 



54 THE WEB 

always seem to everyone identified with the compilation of 
this history. 

In the fall of 1918, headquarters were moved from 1537 
Eye Street to 1719 H Street, Northwest, another old time 
Washington residence of stately sort, which remained the 
home of the National Headquarters until the signing of the 
Armistice and the dissolution of the League itself. Here 
Mr, Briggs, Captain Frey and Mr. Elting remained until the 
end of the game in charge of a loyal band of workers. For 
all of these men, and those associated with them, there re- 
main the recollection of a hectic two years of high speed 
work, in connection with financial loss to everyone en- 
gaged in it. 



CHAPTER V 

THE LAW AND ITS NEW TEETH 

Insufficiency of the Espionage Laws at the Outbreak of the 
War — Getting Results — The Amended Espionage Act — 
The Law of 1798 Revived — Statement of the Attorney 
General of the United States. 

If predisposed to alien enemy sympathy, a critic might 
declare that the League was made up of individual bucca- 
neers, who did high-handed things and escaped punishment 
therefor only because of the general confusion due to a state 
of war. Nothing could be more unjust or farther from the 
truth than such a belief. On the contrary, the League and 
the Department of Justice as well felt continually held back 
and hampered by respect for laws admittedly inadequate. 

We had matured a great system of jurisprudence, suffi- 
cient for ordinary needs. Moreover, when war began, we 
had passed more laws adjusted to the new needs ; but it is a 
curious fact that, threatened as we were by Germany's per- 
fected system of espionage and propaganda, we had no actual 
statute by which we adequately could cope with it until May, 
1918 — more than a year after we went to war, and less than 
six months before the end of the war. 

In the spring of 1918, the National Directors began, under 
the editorship of Daniel V. Casey, the issue of a League or- 
gan or confidential bulletin, called "The Spy Glass." The 
first number of the publication, in June of that year, took 
up the amended Espionage Act, which was the base of prac- 
tically all of the A. P. L. and D, J. work during the war. 
This amendment rebuilt and stiffened the original Espionage 
Act of June 15, 1917, which had been found insufficient, and 
"put teeth in the law," as the Attorney General's office 
phrased it. "The Spy Glass" printed a digest of the new 
enactment, which is of essential interest at this point of the 
League's story as it determined the whole character of the 

55 



56 THE WEB 

League's later activities. This summarization of the Espion- 
age Act is printed as Appendix C in the present volume. 

Up to the close of 1917, we had had, duly amended, many- 
national statutes covering treason and sedition, foreign and 
hostile connections, pretending to be an officer, enticing to 
desertion or strikes, trespassing at military places, falsely 
claiming citizenship, aiding or counseling offense, wearing 
uniform unlawfully, conspiracy, neutrality, counterfeiting 
seals, use of mails, trading with the enemy, censorship, for- 
eign language news items, sabotage, etc., as well as many 
specific enactments controlling persons liable for military 
service, and covering the increase of the army, the questions 
of evasion, desertion, etc. These powers, broad as they were 
already, were extended under the blanket power of the 
Articles of War, to cover fraud, desertion, mutiny, insub- 
ordination, misbehavior before the enemy, traitors and spies, 
murder, rape and other crimes, and the general conduct and 
dicipline of those in military service. 

Not even all these laws, however, were found to stand the 
extreme demands put on the country by thousands of new 
and wholly unforeseen exigencies. As a matter of fact, one 
of the most useful of all our laws against enemy aliens and 
spies was one not up-to-date at all, but dating back to Revo- 
lutionary times ; that is to say, July 6, 1798 !^ 

This old law was unearthed by the agents of the Depart- 
ment of Justice. It gave almost blanket powers to the Pres- 
ident of the United States, and it was under the President's 
proclamations, based on that old law, that most of the early 
internment arrests were made. The old law, long disused, 
was found to work perfectly still ! It was extended in force 
by the regulations controlling enemy aliens.^ 

It became the duty of the newly organized League to take 
on the accumulation of testimony under all these new laws ; 
and what that was to mean may be forecast from the com- 
ment of the Attorney General of the United States in his 
annual report for 1918 : 

The so-called Espionage Act contains a variety of provi- 
sions on different subjects, such as neutrality, protection of 



1 See Appendix D for text of this law. 

2 See Appendix E for text of the President's proclamation for the 
regulation of alien enemies. 



THE LAW AND ITS NEW TEETH 57 

ships in harbor, spy activities, unlawful military expeditions, 
etc. Most of the cases which have arisen, however, presenting 
the most complex problems, have been under the third section 
of Title I of this act, which is aimed at disloyal and danger- 
ous propaganda. 

This section 3 was amended by a law which became effective 
May 18, 1918, commonly called the Sedition Act, which greatly 
broadened the scope of the original act and brought under its 
prohibitions many new types of disloyal utterance. The use 
which our enemies have made of propaganda as a method of 
warfare is especially dangerous in any country governed by 
public opinion. During the first three years of the war, the 
period of our neutrality, the German Government and its sym- 
pathizers expended here a vast amount of money in carrying 
on different types of propaganda, and these activities are a 
matter of public knowledge. During our participation in the 
war, section 3 and its later amendment have been the only 
weapons available to this Government for the suppression of 
insidious propaganda, and it is obvious that no more diflBcult 
task has been placed upon our system of law than the endeavor 
to distinguish between the legitimate expression of opinion and 
those types of expression necessarily or deliberately in aid of 
the enemy. The number of complaints under this law pre- 
sented to the Department of Justice has been incredibly large. 

Such, then, was the ultimate machinery of our national 
laws when, late, but with such speed as a willing Congress 
could give after the gauntlet was flung and the issue joined, 
we began to face in dead earnest the peril of the times. "We 
now had at last a full set of laws with teeth in them. But 
it was a tremendous burden that the older institutions of 
our administrative machinery had to carry. In sooth, the 
load was too much. The machinery buckled under it. We 
could not do the work we had to get done. 

That work was more than ever had been asked of any 
nation of the world. We had a mixed population of wholly 
unknown disposition. Some said we delayed going to war 
for so long because we were not sure our people would back 
the Government. That, surely, could be the only reason for 
the delay. All the races of the world were seething in rage 
and jealousy. We had racial war within our borders. We 
could not count on our own friends. We could not predict 
as to what percent of men would be loyal to our flag. We 
had two million men of German blood inside our borders, 



58 THE WEB 

guaranteed by their Kaiser to be loyal to Germany. And 
long before we had gone to war, we had had abundant proof 
of their disloyalty to us, of their hatred for Britain and 
France, and their discontent with our own neutrality. We 
had openly been warned by the German Kaiser that he 
counted on the loyalty to Germany of many or most of these 
men. Fear alone held the average pro-German back. But 
it did not hold back their seasoned spies and the agents who 
worked under cover. The sudden cessation of pro-German 
talk which fell when we declared war deceived none but the 
pacifists. The boasts of German- Americans as to their hold- 
ings in Liberty Bonds deceived not at all the men who had 
sat and listened on the inside; for even at this time the rec- 
ords were piling up — records of private acts and words of 
treason to America which had been noted by the A. P. L. 
The full record of German craft and duplicity, of treachery 
and treason to America, never will be made public. It was 
alike a loathsome and a dangerous thing. 

Obviously, the hands of our Government sorely needed 
upholding. Who was to do that? Who would apply all 
these laws now that we had themj Who should watch two 
million tight-mouthed men whose homes were here but whose 
hearts were still in Germany ? Who could cope with 300,000 
spies, in part trained and paid spies, many of whom were 
sent over to America long before Germany declared the war 
which was "forced" on her? 

That was what the American Protective League already 
was doing when war was declared ; it is what it has done ever 
since, loyalty, patiently, indefatigably, to an enormous and 
unknown extent, in an unbelievable variety of detail. If 
ever you have held its members irresponsible or deemed them 
actuated by any but good motives, cease to do so now. Be- 
yond all men of this generation they have proven that pa- 
triotism is not dead. 

The enforcement of the President's proclamation govern- 
ing the conduct of enemy aliens in this country entailed a 
tremendous amount of D. J. work, the larger part of which 
devolved upon the agents of the League. Thousands of in- 
vestigations of alien Germans were made under its provi- 
sions. Numerically speaking, however, the work in that im- 
peratively necessary line yielded to the more thankless labor 
of slacker and deserter hunting. 



THE LAW AND ITS NEW TEETH 59 

The function of the League in all these matters is obvious. 
No case at law will "stick" unless supported by competent 
testimony. We have seen that the League was organized for 
the collection of evidence, and for nothing else. Limited as 
its power was, it really saved the day for our hard-pressed 
country. It increased our Army by many thousands of 
evaders whom it found and turned over to the military 
authorities. It put hundreds of aliens into internment. It 
apprehended plotters and prevented consummation of con- 
spiracies beyond number. It kept down the danger of that 
large disloyal element, and held Germany in America safe 
while we went on with the open business of war in the field. 
It is by no means too much to say that much of the Kaiser's 
disappointment over his German- American revolt was due 
not so much to any loyalty to the American flag — for of all 
of our racial representatives, the Germans are the most clan- 
nishly and tenaciously loyal to their own former flag — as it 
was to fear of the silent and stern hand searching out in the 
dark and taking first one and then another German or pro- 
German away from the scenes that erstwhile had known him. 
It was fear that held our enemy population down — fear and 
nothing else. It was the League's silent and mysterious 
errand to pile up good reason for that fear. 

At the crack of war, certain hundreds of dangerous aliens 
were interned at once. They simply vanished, that was all, 
behind the walls of camps or of prisons. It will be mistaken 
mercy if we shall not deport thousands more when we shall 
have the time deliberately to do that. Fear is the one thing 
such men understand. Honor and loyalty, terms interde- 
pendent and inseparable, are unknown to them. Too many 
Germans loved America only because they made money 
easily here. Their real flag still was across the sea, except 
as they had raised it here in their churches and their schools. 

It was sometimes rumored that many spies were shot 
secretly in America. That would have been done in Ger- 
many — as witness the deaths of Edith Cavell and others. 
It was not done here. We did not kill a single spy, a single 
traitor, — more is the pity. By reason of the fact that we 
had outspied Germany's vaunted espionage, we nipped in 
the bud none knows how many plots and conspiracies which 
otherwise would have matured in ruin to life and property. 



60 THE WEB 

We did not shoot known spies, but we garroted them in the 
dark and hurried them to jail. That agency of the law is 
best, after all, which keeps crime from becoming crime. "We 
did not wait for overt acts — we filled our prisons before the 
acts were done! That is why the public was obliged to ro- 
mance as to German spies. They are in jail. The report of 
the Department of Justice itself, of June, 1918, on these war 
activities will in this connection prove interesting reading: 

During the period of American neutrality many persons 
were prosecuted for criminal acts connected with efforts to aid 
the belligerents. Some of these cases were still pending when 
the United States declared war on Germany, A very satis- 
factory standard of success was attained in the ante-bellum 
prosecutions. Almost before the ink had dried on the proclama- 
tion of April 6, 1917, a select company of dangerous Germans 
were gathered in by the United States Marshals. These 
prisoners were believed to be potential, and in some cases 
actual leaders of pro-German plots and propaganda. Sub- 
sequent discoveries have quite fully confirmed this belief. 
Recently a most authoritative document was found to contain 
among other matters the names of several gentlemen whom the 
German Government trusted to carry on its work here un- 
officially after the withdrawal of the official representatives. 
Of these, all were arrested on April 6, 1917, save one who had 
already left the country. This disposal of the German leaders 
had effects which have been continually reflected in the dis- 
jointed and sporadic character of hostile outbreaks. 

One of the most recent, most novel, and most important of 
the Department's efforts is the denaturalization of disloyal 
citizens of foreign origin. Many natives of Germany or Aus- 
tria, sheltered from summary internment by their acquired 
citizenship and clever enough to avoid the commission of 
actual crime, have insulted and injured this government at 
every opportunity. Fortunately the naturalization law con- 
tains a clause permitting the cancellation of citizenship papers 
oMained ly fraud. Without waiting for further legislation, 
which is apparently on the way, the Department has assailed 
a number of defendants believed to have made fraudulent 
mental reservations of loyalty to their native countries. Sev- 
eral of these cases have already ended victorrously for the 
government. More than one defeated defendant has been 
interned. 

Meanwhile the summary arrests have continued. From week 
to week through 1917 their numbers steadily increased. Since 



THE LAW AND ITS NEW TEETH 61 

about the beginning of 1918, the rate has been more nearly 
constant. 

Extremists have advocated the universal internment of alien 
enemies, somewhat after the English practice. Now, Great 
Britain interned permanently rather fewer than seventy thou- 
sand alien enemies. The United States would he com.pelled to 
intern at least eight hundred thousand Germans and more than 
twice as many Austrians. The colossal expense of maintain- 
ing this horde in idleness — civilian prisoners of war are far 
more useless than convicts, because they may not be forced 
to work — is too obvious to need discussion. 

More temperate critics say that there have been too few 
arrests, too low a proportion of internments, and too high a 
proportion of paroles. As to the first and second charges, it 
is a suflBcient answer that conditions have improved instead 
of becoming worse. A policeman's record should not be judged 
by the number of people he has put in jail, but by the kind of 
order maintained on his beat. 

In his annual report, issued December 5, 1918, subsequent 
to the signing of the armistice, the Attorney General stated 
that six thousand alien enemies had been arrested on presi- 
dential warrants, based on the old law of 1798. Of these, a 
''considerable number" were placed in the internment camps 
in charge of the Army. The majority of these were German 
men and women, with a certain number of Austro-Hungar- 
ians. He concludes : " I do not want to create the impression 
that there is no danger from German spies and German 
sympathizers. There are thousands of persons in this coun- 
try who would injure the United States in this war if they 
could do so with safety to themselves. However, they are 
no more anxious to be hanged than you are." 

The foregoing will show, to any student of the strange and 
complex situation which has confronted America at home 
these last four years, the main facts as to the emergencies 
we met and the means by which we met them. 

The surprising thing is that we Americans have not known 
ourselves! A thoughtful study of the American Protective 
League is not a mere yawning over phrases of the law any 
more than it is a mere dipping into exciting or mystifying 
experiences. It is more than that. It is an excursion into 
a new and unexplored region in America — into the very 
heart of America itself. 



CHAPTER VI 

GERMAN PROPAGANDA 

How the Poison was Spread — The Press — The Pulpit — 
The Word-of-Mouth Rumor — Various Canards Directed 
Against American Morale — Stories and Instances of the 
Hun's Subtlety. 

Germany made two mistakes — one in beginning the war, 
the other in losing it. The world has reckoned with her far 
otherwise than as she hoped. Now she learns what it is to 
feel defeat. Shrewd as the shrewdest, more patient than the 
most patient, not lacking courage while victory was with her 
— yet always showing that peculiar German clumsiness of 
intellect — Germany fought with trained skill on both sides 
the sea. The world knows the story of the battles in France. 
Let us now study the battles fought in silence in America. 

In actual practice the various secret methods which the 
Germans employed in America could not always be defined 
one from the other. A certain confusion and over-lapping 
existed between the spy systems and those of propaganda 
and sabotage. Often one man might practice all three. 
The purpose of this chapter is to take the humblest form 
of German secret work in America, that practiced by the 
least skilled and most numerous branch of her spies — the 
sort of thing which usually is classified as propaganda. 

Let no one undervalue the work of propaganda. No army 
is better than its morale, and no army 's morale is better than 
that of the people which send it to the front. The entire 
purpose of enemy propaganda is to lessen the morale either 
of an army or a people ; and that precisely was Germany 's 
purpose with us. 

Anything is good propaganda which makes a people nerv- 
ous, uneasy or discontented. Many of the stories which Ger- 
many spread in America seemed clumsy at first, they were 
so easily detected. Yet they did their work, even though 

62 



GERMAN PROPAGANDA 63 

sometimes it would have seemed that the rumors put out 
were against Germany and not for her. These rumors, re- 
peated and varied, did serve a great purpose in America — 
they made us restless and uneasy. That certainly is true. 

One of the favorite objects of the German propaganda was 
the Eed Cross work. Hardly any American but has heard 
one or other story about the Eed Cross. The result has been 
a very considerable lessening of the public confidence in that 
great organization. The average man never runs down any 
rumor of this sort. At first he does not believe what he 
hears. At the fourth or fifth story of different sorts, all 
aiming at one object, he begins to hesitate, to doubt. With- 
out any question, the Red Cross has suffered much from 
German propaganda. Not that this organization should be 
called perfect, for such was not the case with any war organ- 
ization. Not that the Y. M. C. A. work was perfect, for it 
was far from that. But the point is that all of these organ- 
izations, all the war charities, all the war relief organizations, 
were more nearly perfect than German propaganda has al- 
lowed us to believe. The most cruel and malicious state- 
ments against the Red Cross, wholly without foundation, 
were made, with apparent feeling of all lack of responsibility, 
by German-loving persons in all parts of the country. A 
complaint came to Washington Headquarters all the way 
from Portland, Oregon. Comment is unnecessary: 

I am informed that one Bertha A — , who is in the 

Government service, Bureau of Aircraft Production, Executive 
Department, Cable Section, office in "D" Building, 4% Missouri 
Avenue, "Washington, D. C, has written a letter to a friend of 
hers here that a ward in one of the hospitals in Washington 
had been set aside for some seventy-five girls who were work- 
ing in the different bureaus in Washington and had become 
pregnant since arriving in Washington; and that it was ru- 
mored that there were about three hundred in addition to the 
above who had been sent home for the same reason. Would 
suggest that she be interviewed. We will look up her antece- 
dents here and if possible secure the letter which she has 
written or copy thereof. Upon being advised that such a 
letter had been written, I interviewed the husband of the 
lady to whom the letter was written, he being bailiff in one 
of the circuit courts here, and he stated that the quotation as 
made above was substantially correct. 



64 THE WEB 

Nearly everyone has heard the story of the Bed Cross 
sweater which had a five-dollar bill pinned to it for the 
lucky unknown soldier who might be the recipient. This 
sweater is always reported to have been sold and to have 
turned up in some part of America with the proof attached 
to it. In no instance has there been any foundation for this 
rumor. A like baselessness marks the stories of Red Cross 
graft and misappropriation of funds and waste of money. 
No doubt there was a certain amount of inefficiency in this 
work; but that the Red Cross was looted or conducted by 
dishonest persons was never believed to be true even by the 
German agents who started the stories. 

During the time of the influenza epidemic, a common story 
was that doctors had been found spreading influenza germs 
in the cantonments. It was reported, as no doubt every 
reader will remember, that two doctors had been shot in one 
post. Sometimes the story would come from a man who got 
it from an enlisted man who had been one of the firing squad 
who had executed several doctors in this way. There was 
not a word of truth in any of this. The inoculation propa- 
ganda was German propaganda, pure and simple. It might 
not seem clear how such mendacity could be of direct help 
to Germany ; but it had this result — it made American moth- 
ers and fathers more uneasy about their sons. It made 
them want to keep their boys at home. j 

The powdered glass rumor was one of the most widely 
spread instances of German propaganda. ■ Who has not 
heard it divulged in secrecy by some woman, with the in- 
junction that not a word must be said about it ? A German 
nurse had been detected putting powdered glass in the 
rolled surgical bandages in the Red Cross work rooms. She 
had disappeared before she could be arrested, and she had 
not left her name. That mj^sterious German woman who 
worked with the Red Cross is still absent. The rumors, of 
powdered glass in bandages have been practically ground- 
less — only one division, that in upper New Jersey, reports 
any case of that sort actually run down. The charges of 
powdered glass in food sent to the soldiers or put in tinned 
goods have been found equally baseless. Two cases of glass 
found in food stuffs are authentically reported, — ^both acci- 
dents, and the glass was broken and not powdered. 



GERMAN PROPAGANDA 65 

The charges of poisoned wells around cantonments was 
another canard. Rumors came out that horses, and men 
also, had been killed by the poisoned water. The entire 
investigating force of the United States has found one case 
of poisoned water in a horse trough in West Virginia — and 
no horse drank of it. The charges about poisoned court- 
plaster were proved to be equally groundless — indeed, they 
would seem to be of small reason in any case, because, if 
Germany was putting out the court-plaster, why should she 
speak of it ; and why should America put it out at all ? The 
psychology of it is this: anything which makes the people 
feel uneasy or anxious is good propaganda for the enemy. 

Stories were spread very widely at one time that Canada 
and England were not practicing food conservation — that we 
were shipping our food to England and she was eating it 
without reservation, whereas we were denying ourselves 
sugar and butter. Perhaps you had best talk with someone 
who lived in England during the war as to the truth of that. 
It was one of the many German lies. There was the charge 
that the price of gasoline was due to the fact that the Stand- 
ard Oil Company was dumping and wasting large quantities 
of gasoline. There was nothing in that, of course. 

The report of Polish pograms, general Jew killing expedi- 
tions by the Poles, were magnified and distorted, all with 
the purpose of making both the Poles and Jews dissatisfied 
with the conduct of the war. Continually these anti-Ally 
stories got out, and always they were hard to trace. 

This form of propaganda, spread by word of mouth, was 
the most insidious and most widely spread of all forms. It 
was^ of course, made the more easy by the excited state of 
mind of the people during war times. You will remember 
that you yourself bought more newspapers than you ever 
did in your life — you looked for new headlines, new sensa- 
tions, all the time. At home, your wife also was eager for 
sensations, for the news, for the gossip. It was ready for 
her and every member of her family, and her neighbors and 
neighbors' families. The spread of a rumor is not governed 
by the laws of evidence; and hearsay testimony rarely is 
given twice the same^it always grows. 

Into this form of German propaganda came spite work 
against German-Americans who themselves were loyal. A 



66 THE WEB 

great deal of League activity had to do with running down 
rumors against persons declared to be pro-German. Some- 
times these things were found baseless; and again enough 
pro-Germanism was found to warrant a stern rebuke. 

Sometimes, public speakers, well trained in their tasks, 
put out propaganda which at the time seemed an innocent 
statement of facts. To the Lake Placid Club of New York 
came a certain "Belgian officer" who spoke very good Eng- 
lish, and who purported to be able to tell all about the war. 
He made a long speech, regarding which many members of 
the local Red Cross complained bitterly to the American 
Protective League. This man's talk, while purporting to be 
that of an ally of this country, was really German propa- 
ganda. He denied or justified German atrocities, deplored 
Red Cross knitting, declared it would take ten million Amer- 
icans to beat the Germans ; that they were going into a hell 
of vermin, dirt and disease ; that our army as yet was diffi- 
cult to find. There was a German orchestra at the Club, 
supposed to have come from the Boston Symphony Orches- 
tra. They all applauded vociferously when the speaker 
made such statements as, "After the war there will be a 
day of reckoning. ' ' Further details, which proved that this 
speaker really was spreading German propaganda, led to 
his being traced to New York. He was found to have worked 
at different times in Iowa, Kansas, and elsewhere. The last 
report was that he was supposed to have sailed for his native 
country. 

There was no way, shape nor manner in which Germany 
did not endeavor to embarrass us. She had, besides her care- 
fully trained public speakers, her secret workers who had 
assigned to them definite objectives. For instance, it was 
known that the negro race would furnish a considerable 
number of soldiers for our army. A very wide German 
propaganda existed among the negroes in Georgia and Caro- 
lina, and in such northern cities as Indianapolis, where large 
numbers of that race were located. A certain German was 
indicted under seven counts for this manner of activity. It 
was proved that he had told a great many negro privates in 
the army that they would be mutilated if captured, and 
that they were going to starve to death in France if they 
ever got across. The horrors of war with the American 



\ 

V GERMAN PROPAGANDA 67 

forces were pointed out to these simple people ; but, on the 
other hand it was explained to them that if they would 
work for the German interests, they would be allowed to set 
up a government of their own in America if Germany won 
the war! They were told Germany loved the negroes and 
believed in their equality with the white race in every way, 
and would support their government when once her war was 
won! One such secret German worker among colored sol- 
diers and civilians was M. F of New York, in- 
dieted under seven counts in June, 1918, under the new 

Espionage Law. F • put out much the same story to 

frighten the negroes and make them discontented — ^wholesale 
mutilation at the hands of Germans if they were captured in 
France. He declared that their eyes would be gouged out 
and their ears cut off. He also said that Germany was al- 
lowing our transports to reach Europe unharmed because 
she wanted a lot of Americans in France, where, after cut- 
ting off their supplies, she intended to starve them all to 
death. 

This looks like making out a bad case for Germany — but 

softly. P also said that, on the other hand, Germany 

did not want to kill the negroes if they would not fight; 
that if only they would work for Germany's interests, they 
should have their own country and their own government. 
Stories like this were circulated in the South and among 

cities in the North with a heavy negro population. F 

was the first propagandist to be caught with the goods. He 
was talking much with colored privates in the draft army. 

Of course, a prime object of propaganda was to obstruct 
the draft and to prevent the shipment of munitions. It 
largely failed, as everyone knows. But still it cannot be 
said that Germany did not invest such money well as she 
spent on her secret pro-German propaganda in America. 
She knew that she had ruined Russia by propaganda. We 
might further have learned the danger of propaganda as a 
weapon had we heard the rumor that Germany herself had 
her collapse hastened by propaganda which Great Britain 
managed to spread among her people. It is a matter of his- 
tory that German propaganda caused the Italian debacle in 
the first Austrian advance into Italy. 

Nor is it to be believed that Germany has ceased in her 



68 THE WEB 

propaganda. STie does not believe herself defeated even 
now. The undying occult spirit of the old Teutonic Knights 
still lives to-day in America. Now, you will begin to hear 
attempts to make us dislike England, attempts to incite Ire- 
land to revolt against England, attempts to make us dislike 
Prance, stories that England and France owe us much for 
everything they gave us in the way of equipment, aeroplanes, 
munitions; stories that we will never get back any of the 
moneys we loaned to the Allies; stories of how simple and 
innocent the German people are, how anxious they are to 
be friendly to America. That is all propaganda. By this 
time we ought to know how to value it. 

Of course, the German language papers in this country 
were hotbeds of propaganda and sedition. Some of them 
were suppressed by the censorship, some by the indignant 
American people who informed the courts of justice. Most 
of them by this time have become tame since they have seen 
the penitentiary sentences imposed upon the more outspoken 
of these German editors living in America. These foreign 
language papers were prominent in New York, Chicago, 
Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and other cities. They 
show the strength of German sentiment in America. Every 
one of them was a center of propaganda, at first outspoken, 
then more careful. The great majority of these papers, in 
order to protect their business investments, tried to cover up 
when they found which way the wind was setting. The 
censorship officers were flooded with complaints against these 
papers. For instance, there came all the way from Indian- 
apolis a complaint against a paper printed in Baltimore, 
Maryland, "The Bavarian Weekly." A. P. L. had many 
extended translations of articles printed in this paper, the 
general tenor of which was a laudation of Germany and 
German methods. One wonders what Germany would have 
done to any American newspaper printed within the con- 
fines of Germany which might have expressed such hostile 
sentiments against the country harboring it. 

In addition to these, there were, of course, the English 
language papers which for one reason or another were 
covertly or outspokenly in favor of Germany. Papers all 
the way from New York to Pueblo, Colorado, were bought 
or were attempted to be bought outright by German capital. 



GERMAN PROPAGANDA 69 

The most sensational scandals of this sort came out of New 
York. 

It is known that in many towns the German element 
undertook to sow seeds of discontent in the minds of sav- 
ings bank depositors. Eumors got out — ^no one could tell 
where they started — ^to the effect that the United States 
Government was going to confiscate all the savings of the 
people ; that the bonds would never be paid off. Of course, 
all this was absurd, but it had its effect upon servant girls 
and others who were loyally putting their savings into the 
securities of the government. It cost a great deal of time 
and expense to run down such rumors. 

The pulpit was a recognized part of the German system 
of spy work in America, as has elsewhere been noted. It 
is not just to accuse all Lutheran ministers of desecrating 
the cloth they wore. There are good Lutheran ministers 
who are loyal Americans without question. At the same 
time it is true that more charges have been brought against 
pastors of the Lutheran church, and charges of more spe- 
cific nature, than against any other class or profession in 
our country. There are scores an-d hundreds of such re- 
ports which came into the National Headquarters of the 
A. P. L. from all parts of the country, more especially 
those parts which have heavy German settlements. These 
are so numerous that one cannot avoid calling the Lutheran 
pulpit in America one of the most active and poisonous 
influences which existed in America during the war. A 
sample report comes in from the Chief of the A. P. L. at 
Armour, S. D. : 

I have reported on five German Lutlieran preaciiers of this 
vicinity. They are all of the same stripe — profess loyalty, but 
actions speak otherwise. It seems strange to me that they 
have such an anxiety to get into active war work in the army 
and navy. 

In yet another and longer specification, the same chief 
states : 

I am becoming concerned about the large number of 
reports I get locally regarding German Lutheran ministers in 
this part of South Dakota. They are attempting to obtain 



70 THE WEB 

positions of trust in Government work In the army and navy. 
/ would not trust one of them in this part of the State. We 
have had trouble continually with the German communities 
where these ministers are located. Twenty-nine were con- 
victed from Tripp. . . . Our Government might as well 
choose men from Berlin as to select German Lutheran min- 
isters from this part of South Dakota. It seems to me that 
the A. P. L. should investigate and see what is inducing all 
these German Lutheran ministers to apply for Government 
positions. If even one succeeds in obtaining an appointment, 
it would be an opening. 

This matter w^ent before the Military Intelligence Divi- 
sion in "Washington and received proper handling there. 

A report from Osage, Iowa, came in against a certain 
priest in another Iowa town. The entire record of this 
man is given, besides other details regarding his parentage, 
his education, and his conduct of his church. ''Previous 
to the entry of the United States into the war, he upheld 
Germany in all particulars. Since war has been declared, 
he has been more careful in his speech. A service flag was 
dedicated in our village, which consists of but one street. 
The ceremonies were held in front of this man's house. He 
did not attend the services. The next Sunday he roasted 
his congregation for giving money toward the flag and told 
them they should give quite as much to the church. A 
committee of five men visited him and invited him to sub- 
scribe to the Third Loan." 

One of these clerical gentlemen who have remained loyal 
to the Kaiser, though not to Christ, is the Reverend John 
Fontana, Lutheran clergyman of New Salem, North Da- 
kota. He was convicted for preaching sedition, and got a 
three-year sentence in a Federal Court. This did not deter 
his likewise loyal Kaiserliche congregation. By a vote of 
fifty-seven to twenty-two the members decided to continue 
him as their beloved pastor. Yet this is what Judge Ami- 
don said to Fontana when he was arraigned, — words which 
ought to be printed in large letters and displayed promi- 
nently in every street of every city of every portion of 
America. The Judge said to the prisoner: 

You received your final papers as a citizen in 1898. By the 
oath which you then took, you renounced and abjured all 



GERMAN PROPAGANDA 71 

allegiance to Germany and the Emperor of Germany, and 
swore that you would bear true faith and allegiance to the 
United States. What did that mean? That you would set 
about earnestly growing an American soul, and put away your 
German soul. 

Have you done that? I do not think you have. You have 
cherished everything German and stifled everything American. 
You have preached German, prayed German, read German, 
sung German. Every thought of your mind and every emotion 
of your heart through all these years has been German. Your 
body has been in America, but your life has been in Germany. 
You have influenced others who have been under your ministry 
to do the same thing. 

There have been a good many Germans before me in the last 
month. They have lived in this country, like yourself, ten, 
twenty, thirty, forty years, and they have had to give their 
evidence through an interpreter. It has been an impressive 
part of the trial. As I looked at them and tried, as best I 
could, to understand them, there was written all over every 
one of them, "Made in Germany." American life had not 
dimmed that mark in the least. 

I do not blame you and these men alone. I blame myself. 
I blame my country. We urged you to come; we welcomed 
you; we gave you opportunity; we gave you land; we con- 
ferred upon you the diadem of American citizenship — and 
then we left you. 

When we get through with this war, and civil liberty is 
made safe once more upon this earth, there is going to be a 
day of judgment in these United States. Foreign-born citi- 
zens and the institutions which have cherished foreigners are 
going to be brought to the judgment of this Republic. That 
day of judgment looks more to me to-day like the great Day of 
Judgment than anything that I have thought of for many 
years. There is going to be a separation on that day of the 
sheep from the goats. Every institution that has been engaged 
in this business of making foreigners perpetual in the United 
States will have to change — or cease. That is going to cut 
deep, but it is coming. 

It must be pointed out that in spite of this charge of 
the judge, and in spite of the sentence of this minister of 
the gospel, his flock remained loyal tp him an-d invited him 
back tp preach when he got out of jail ! 

It has always been charged against the Germans in 
America that they were the most clannish of all the for- 



72 THE WEB 

eigners coming to settle in this country. They, longer than 
any other people, retain their own institutions, their own 
language, their own customs. In parts of the country there 
are schools which teach the German language more than 
they do the English — a practice which, in all likelihood, 
will be discontinued when the troops come back from 
France and Germany. Without any doubt or question, 
pro-German school teachers were German propagandists, 
usually of the indiscreet and hotheaded sort. 

From Terre Haute, Indiana, comes a complaint regarding 
Miss Lena Neubern — that is what we will call her — a hot 
socialist and worse, who was a school teacher. Miss Neu- 
bern had two brothers in that city who refused to allow an 
American flag to be placed in front of their store, or to 
allow their clerks to attend, the parade of the Third Liberty 
Loan. A committee of citizens called on them and told 
them "in strong term what was expected of them." Miss 
Neubern taught her school children, Americans, that the 
"Kaiser was just as good a man as President Wilson; that 
the United States was in this war, not for democracy, but 
for commercial supremacy; that the United States was as 
greedy as Germany; that we were controlled by England, 
always the enemy of the United States." Miss Neubern 
refused to allow the Star Spangled Banner to be sung in 
her room, and did all she could to hinder the sale of Thrift 
Stamps among the children, though in other schools large 
numbers of stamps had been sold. This active and intelli- 
gent young woman pleaded guilty of this charge and was 
dismissed by the school board. One wonders whether the 
German Government would have stopped at the dismissal 
in a similar instance ! 

Another form of German propagandist might have been 
found higher up in e-ducational circles. The faculties of 
our great universities have always been made up in part 
of a class of men who are of the belief that intellect and 
scholarship are best shown by eccentricity and radicalism. 
More than that, we had a number of actual Germans in 
our university faculties in America. Since it is the propo- 
sition here to deal in concrete facts and not in mere gen- 
eral assertions, let us print something which came in, 
embodied in the report from Champaign, Illinois. 



GERMAN PROPAGANDA 73 

Champaign, Illinois, is the home of the University of 
Illinois, and for some reason university towns seem to act 
as chutes for all sorts of independent thought. There are 
two strong German settlements in Champaign County, and 
a very strong German settlement in the city, where many 
residents have shown very pro-German tendencies. These 
German settlements have their own German schools, taught 
by their German Lutheran ministers under the pretense of 
teaching religion. Sentiment became so intense that the 
local A. P. L. Chief was requested by the Government to 
close these schools if possible. Some of them have reopened 
since the armistice. In such localities the Germans have 
been very indjependent and often quite outspoken, so that 
it was necessary in many cases for the A. P. L. to use 
influence to prevent violence to them. There were only 
one or two cases where the citizens got out of control, 
although many citizens of German descent infused to buy 
bonds and made disparaging remarks regarding the war. 

The A. P. L. Chief says : ' ' We were confronted with 
the problem of ousting five alien enemies at the University 
of Illinois, two of them regarded as dangerous. We also 
had to handle a cook at the aviation barracks, an alien 
enemy who was deliberately wasting food. We convicted 
the wife of a German minister in the Federal Court for 
making disloyal remarks. We had some -difficulty with 
Russellites, Mennonites, and radical Socialists, but all have 
been kept in hand. Our organization consists of seventy- 
five members, but about twenty-five of us have done most 
of the active work. " A good and worthy twenty-five. 

The reference to Russellites and Mennonites covers two 
regions of great A. P. L. activity. Pastor Russell, as he 
was known, passed away from this scene some time ago, 
but he left behind him seeds of discord. He was perhaps 
not so much disloyal as he was eccentric and fanatical in 
his mental habit. His book, "The Finished Mystery," was 
so open a plea against war that it was proscribed by the 
United States Government. A. P. L. operatives ran down 
a great deal of so-called pro-German talk which originated 
in the Russellites. An instance of this comes from Coloma, 
Michigan, which reports: "Radical socialists became ac- 
tive during August, 1917. Acting under instructions from 



74 THE WEB 

the Department of Justice, we put all of these meetings 
out of business in th^ territory of our jurisdiction. No 
more socialist meetings of any kind here. We got infor- 
mation which resulted in my calling upon certain Russell- 
ites. Collected five books of 'The Finished Mystery,' and 
some copies of the 'Kingdom News.' Eussellites were 
watched), and they promised to discontinue activities until 
after the war. They have done so." 

It is not to be djenied that the following of the radical 
banner among all nations of the world is an increasing one 
and one which will demand great care on the part of the 
governments on both sides of the Atlantic. Bolshevism is 
the great threat of the day, and we shall have to meet it 
in America as it must be met in Germany and Russia 
before there can be any lasting peace. 

At times some of these radicals have got caught in the 
jaws of the amended Espionage Act, as for instance, Eu- 
gene V. Debs, the veteran Socialist candidate for the presi- 
dency, who was given three concurrent sentences of ten 
years each. Early in the fall of 1918, Dr. Morris Zucker, 
a well known Socialist in Brooklyn, was arrested on a 
charge of sedition and locked up. He is said to have die- 
clared that the stories of G-erman atrocities committed by 
German army officers were not true and that they were 
circulated by capitalists in this country to further their 
own purposes. Dr. Zucker was of the belief that American 
soldiers are "make believe" soldiers. On September 6, 
1918, in Philadelphia, Joseph V. Stillson, secretary of the 
"Kova," a Lithuanian newspaper, was caught by the 
Espionage Act and sentenced to three years ' imprisonment 
at Atlanta. 

In Chicago, in December, 1918, there began the trial of 
Victor L. Berger, Congressman-elect from Milwaukee, for 
violation of the espionage act and conspiracy to obstruct 
the United States in prosecuting the war with Germany, 
With Berger, four other Socialist co-defendants were ar- 
raigned: Adolph Germer, National Secretary of the So- 
cialist party; J. Louis Engdahl, Editor of the American 
Socialist; William P. Kruse, Secretary of the draft-evading 
organization of the anti-war Socialists, and Irwin St. John 
Tucker, a radical Episcopalian rector. 



GERMAN PROPAGANDA 75 

The trial before Federal Judge Kenesaw M. Landis lasted 
for more than a month and resulted in a verdict of guilty 
against all of the defendants. On February 20, 1918, Judge 
Landis sentenced the convicted men to twenty years' im- 
prisonment in the federal penitentiary at Fort Leaven- 
worth, Kansas. In sentencing the men, Judge Landis said : 

Their writings and utterances fairly represent the consistent, 
personal campaigns they conducted to discredit the cause of 
the United States and obstruct its efforts. By no single word 
or act did they offer help to the country to win the war. It 
was a conscious, continuous plan to obstruct the country's 
military efforts. What has been said in this courtroom by 
the defendants is but an apology by them for obstructing the 
country's effort. 

The convicted men were granted an appeal to the United - 
States Circuit Court of Appeals by Judge Samuel Al- 
schuler. In the upper court the defendants were compelled 
to give their personal pledge to Judge Alschuler that 
neither by word or act would they do any of the things 
for which they have been convicted, pending the final dis- 
position of the case. It should be understood and) remem- 
bered that these men were convicted not for their personal 
or political beliefs, but for violation of a law of the United 
States. 

A. P. L. reports show that Lake Mills, Iowa, had a state 
senator who advised young men that they could not be 
forced to cross the water to fight, nor forced to buy Liberty 
bonds. He also was alleged to have obstructed the United 
"War Work campaign by telling a client that he did not 
need) to assist. He was connected with the Non-Partisan 
League and promised the farmers that they would secure 
control of the Legislature. Affidavits to this effect were 
handed to "D. J." The Non-Partisan League was well 
investigated in that neighborhood. The organizer of the 
local chapter was forced to buy bonds and stamps and to 
remain inactive until Peace was declared. ''He moved 
away and never came back," says the local chief. 

In another Lake Mills office, there was found by American 
Protective League operatives a picture drawn by a rather 
good amateur artist depicting a single German blowing to 



76 THE V/EB 

pieces the head of an American column of troops. Investiga- 
tion showed that this picture was drawn by a clerk in a 
local store. He was drafted and is in France, and the report 
regarding him is filed with "D. J." His original drawing 
is in the possession of the National Directors of the A. P. L. 
A League report, simple and direct, which comes from 
Todd County, Minnesota, is one of the best and freest expo- 
sitions of our system of government and the character oi 
our citizenry that may be seen in many a day. The college 
professor w^ould be valuable who couldj write a clearer or 
more useful paper. Says th^ report: 

The Germans of the country are about evenly divided be- 
tween the Catholic and Lutheran faiths. The Scandinavians 
are practically all Lutheran. The German Catholics, in gen- 
eral, allied themselves with loyal element; but a majority of 
the Luthferans, both German and Scandinavian, gave evidence 
of pro-German sympathies. 

To complicate matters at this time, a political movement 
under socialist leadership showed great activity. The move- 
ment was organized under the name of the Non-Partisan 
League, with its platform built of essentially socialistic planks. 
The League attained a membership of approximately 1,200 In 
the summer of 1918. Its representatives and organizers held 
meetings in every neighborhood and solicited memberships. 
In the early days of our entry into the war, they demanded 
the cessation of hostilities; declared that it was a rich man's 
war; denounced conscription, and were guilty of numberless 
seditious utterances. Many of the greater lights of the League 
came into the country and delivered addresses, among whom 
were Townley, Lindbergh, Bowen, Randall and others. The 
burden to the cry of these men was the iniquity of "Big Busi- 
ness" and the wrongs of the farmers. As a remedy for all 
these economic evils, the socialistic schemes of the League 
were offered, and found acceptance among a greater number 
than would have been thought possible. 

In June, 1917, the Todd County Public Safety Commission 
was organized. The loyalist element began to assert itself. A 
system of education was inaugurated to offset the propaganda 
of the Bolshevists. The better newspapers lent their aid, and 
the Red Cross and other war activities were pushed. Many 
public meetings were held, and many outside speakers assisted 
in the work. The Public Safety Commission made itself felt 
by many arrests. Some were fined for seditious utterances, 
and some were held to the Grand Jury. Conditions in the 



GERMAN PROPAGANDA 77 

county were such that, while indictments were preferred by 
the Grand Jury in the state courts, it was impossible in some 
flagrant cases to secure a conviction by the petit jury. Such 
relief as was secured was through the state courts. So far as 
this county was concerned, the federal courts were useless. 

Just how far the war is going to affect American politics 
in the future is something that many a politician in 
America would be exceedingly glad to know. It may be 
that there will be some public men, unworthy to be called 
representatives of the American people, who will cater now, 
as before the war, to the German vote. We should beware 
of such men, for all they can do will be to advocate that 
very propaganda which to-day is matter of execration all 
over the country. 

There have not lacked men, who, more especially before 
we declared war, have boasted of their German birth and 
openly made that their main argument for office. In a 
large Ohio city such a man ran for the mayoralty and 
polled a very considerable vote. He said many times pub- 
licly that he would not subscribe to any Liberty Loans and 
was not in accord with our govervnment. He was very 
bitter in his denunciation of all who did not side with him. 
He proclaimed himself a hyphenated German proud of his 
native origin. He spoke before the German Sangerbund of 
his city and before delegates of the German- American Alli- 
ance — and he spoke in German — a democratic candidate 
for mayor in an American city of the second class ! He 
uttered that old and familiar and useless plea — dangerous 
in America to-day — "One can't forget the blood that flows 
in one 's veins. ' ' Part of his campaign argument was this : 
"I personally hope that the war in Europe will be a draw; 
but if there must be a victory, if I must choose between 
intelligent Germany and ignorant Russia, there is but one 
place for me to cast my lot, and that is with the Kaiser. 
If I felt otherwise, I would not be human." What he 
should have said was, if he had felt otherwise, he would 
not have been German. He concluded his remarks with 
the statement that if he became mayor, "Whatever inter- 
ference there has been in the past with such an organization 
as I am now addressing, there will be no such interference 



78 THE WEB 

when I become mayor." But he did not become mayor. 

It is only of late that we have heard much of the Non- 
partisan League in America, even in this day of leagues, 
societies and alliances, but it has had growth and political 
significance in certain of the Northwestern States. It 
would not be true to charge the Non-Partisan League with 
disloyalty as a body, but certainly it would be yet more 
foolish to say that all its members, in the North-European 
part of the United States, had been loyal to America in 
this war, or free of sympathy with Germany. Read the 
A. P. L. reports — ^they are not all shown in these pages — 
of its manifold activities in sections where the Non-Par- 
tisan League is strongest. Draw your own inferences 
then, for then you will have certain premises and need not 
jump at any conclusion not based on premises. 

We may take its reports from Dakota and Iowa as fairly 
good proof of the accuracy of the foregoing statements. 
Let us, for instance, examine as a concrete proposition the 
report from Mason City, Iowa. It is done simply; yet it 
leads us directly into the heart of the problem of America 's 
future and face to face with the basic questions of courage 
in business and social life which must underlie the future 
growth of our country. A story? It is all the story of 
America. 

This report, quite normal in all ways, would represent 
the usual type of report from a nice, average agricultural 
city, were it not for certain phases of the work it repre- 
sents. There were 24 alien enemy cases ; 97 disloyalty 
and sedition cases; 21 eases of propaganda, and eleven 
I. W. W. cases and other forms of radicalism. The state of 
society reflected by these figures is best covered in the words 
of the report itself : 

In ante-bellum times there existed a more or less •well- 
grounded opinion that in this vast western farming region the 
melting pot had most nearly accomplished its task and that 
here, if anywhere, was a truly American community. The 
citizen might be of English, Irish, Scotch, Scandinavian, Ger- ' 
man or French birth or ancestry, but he was primarily an 
American. This belief was based upon the fact that here all 
American institutions and customs received hearty support, 
that the pepole encouraged to the limit the American liberty 



GERMAN PROPAGANDA 79 

of thought and action. American politics in our region was 
relatively free from the corruption encouraged by a large per- 
centage of ignorant or apathetic voters. In fact, the popula- 
tion of this region is enlightened, temperate, and prosperous 
— a condition most favorable if not essential to the proper 
and full development of a real Americanism. 

What did the war bring out? Previous to the advent of 
America into the war there was, on the whole, a true neu- 
trality. There were sympathizers and partisans of both sides 
and there was an even greater class of interested spectators 
who marveled at the stupendous feats of the armies of both 
sides. The American declaration of war was gladly acclaimed 
by the pro-Allies, cheerfully accepted as a call to duty by the 
great mass of interested spectators. It Immediately engaged 
the support of the majority of those previously pro^German, 
leaving a very small minority of pro-Germans to carry on the 
propaganda against the American and Allied cause. 

It was to deal with this small minority that we organized 
in May, 1917, and began to select and swear in A. P. L. 
operatives. 

Among matters which called for constant vigilance, the Non- 
partisan League came in for a share of our attention. At the 
time of the entry of the United States into the war, Iowa was 
being covered with literature for and against this movement, 
the leading force against the Non-Partisan League being the 
Greater Iowa Association. The State Council for National 
Defense considered that it was not for the good of Iowa for 
this fight to continue, and passed resolutions asking both 
factions to discontinue their efforts until after the war. The 
Greater Iowa Association readily acceded to the request, but 
the Non-Partisan League persisted in its propaganda, and the 
Council for Defense deemed it wise to take a hand in^ fairness 
to the Greater Iowa Association. 

But the foregoing mild report does not tell the full story 
in all of its acrimonious vehemence. A local agricultural 
journal came out in red head-lines across its cover page, 
"Iowa's Reign of Terror!" The editor, in that and subse- 
quent issues, printed perhaps 50,000 words of condemna- 
tion of those not included among his own constituents, side- 
tracking alfalfa and Holsteins wholly for the time. He 
says: 

To-day in Iowa there is a veritable reign of terror, which 
h£is been encouraged among ignorant and irresponsible people, 



80 THE WEB 

by men and organizations who should and do know better, but 
who are playing upon passion and prejudice for ulterior pur- 
poses. More harm is resulting from this assumption of author- 
ity by private individuals, without the shadow of moral or 
legal right, than by all the pro-German propaganda or real 
disloyalty in the state. And the worst of it is that it defeats 
the very purpose which is used to excuse it — the purpose of 
uniting all our citizens whole-heartedly and sincerely behind 
the Government's war aims. Already this rule of passion, 
freed from legal restraint, has resulted In the excess of mob 
violence, of injustice and wrongs towards loyal and patriotic 
citizens, whose whole lives will be embittered by the brutal 
intolerance of a few. Our boasted freedom and liberty and 
love of fair play are being made the victims of methods no 
better than those of the despoilers of Belgium, from which 
they differ not in quality but only in degree. 

Right to-day in Iowa, men in positions of leadership and 
responsibility are fomenting and encouraging this spirit of 
mob rule and terrorism, which is wholly outside the pale of 
law, and which will result in such a spirit of lawlessness that 
we will all pay dearly for it in the years to come. The Greater 
Iowa Association and its allied organizations are among those 
which are helping to create this atmosphere of dangerous sus- 
picion and distrust, especially towards farmers' organizations 
In Iowa, which is bound to result in bloodshed and lynch-law 
if it is not quickly checked. The Greater Iowa Association 
boasts in its monthly publication that it has already spent 
$20,000 in helping to put down the Bolsheviki of Iowa (its 
usual expression for the loyal and conservative farmers of this 
state) and that it will spend $180,000 more (a total of $200,000) 
for this purpose if necessary. Its sentiments are approved 
and applauded by its sycophant organizations, such as the Des 
Moines Chamber of Commerce, in its official monthly bulletin, 
which it proclaims is "the mouthpiece for Des Moines." 

Tut, tut ! Obviously, Mason City leads directly into a 
pretty political mess. Willy-nilly, friends of the A. P. L., 
if not member of the Non-Partisan League, are pushed 
into ranks assigned to enemies. We may mildly animad- 
vert on the fact that it is the members of the Non-Partisan 
League who largely buy the journal from which the fore- 
going quotation is madjC. It has had a long and honorable 
history, but is perhaps not so disinterested as the A. P. L. 
It does not, however, go to war with the A. P. L. so much 
as with the Greater Iowa Association, which presently 



GERMAN PROPAGANDA 81 

voted the editor out of membership. The American Pro- 
tective League might have been drawn into politics if it had 
lived much longer — perforce would be and ought to be 
drawn. One thing is sure, if a man must cater in business 
to a class which has disloyalty inborn and ingrained, that 
man is not catering to America and a great future for her. 

It is all a question of the high heart of the gentleman 
unafraid — individual courage, clear-headedness, honest 
self-searching. That is as true for the native born as for 
the naturalize-d citizen. Perhaps for all these warring 
lowans, some of whom were zealous and interested, there 
might very Avell, in these grave, troubled days of our 
country and of all the world, be put on the wall of our 
house the old Bible motto: "Blessed are the pure in 
heart." 

You ask, indeed, what shall we do with all these chame- 
leon propagandists, these foreigners? How shall we clas- 
sify them — as Americans or as enemies ? Who is the 
American 1 

It is simple to answer that. It is he who himself knows 
in his own soul whether or not he is done with the damn- 
able hyphen which has almost ruined America, and yet 
may do so. Liberty Bonds and public speaking do not 
prove Americanism. Not even service stars in a window 
make a man American. Blessed are the pure in Jieart, of 
Mason City or of Des Moines, of the Greater Iov\^a Associa- 
tion or the Non-Partisan League, of the Peoples' Council, 
of the A. P. L., or of German or American birth. And 
when individual American courage is common enough to 
make a man fight pro-Germanism until it is dead forever, 
one thinks we shall indeed see God manifested again in 
the great civilization which once was promised for America. 
It can be had now in only one way, and that way will cost 
dear. If you are interested in your son's future, see to it 
that he — and you yourself — shall be pure in heart. "We 
want and will have no others for Americans to-day or to- 
morrow. 



CHAPTER VII 

THE GERMAN SPY CASES 

The Great Spy Cases — Details of German Propaganda — 
Finances and Personnel of German Forces in America 
— The Diplomatic Fiasco — Notorious Figures of Alien 
Espionage Uncovered — The Senate Judicial Investigation. 

To gain any adequate idea of the amount, of the activi- 
ties v^^hich centered in New York would mean the following 
out of countless concealed threads leading all over the 
world and covering the United States like a net. We never 
knew until we were well into this war that, long before 
we dreamed of war, our country was infested by vast 
numbers of the paid spies of Germany ; that these worked 
under a well-established, andi now well-known, organiza- 
tion; that the highest German diplomatic representatives 
were a part of the system ; that leading financial figures of 
New York were figures in it also, and that the whole intri- 
cate machine was differentiated like a great and well- 
ordered business undertaking. It was an elaborate organi- 
zation for the betrayal of a country ; and that organiza- 
tion, like the armed forces of Germany in the field, was 
beaten and broken only by the loyal men of America, re- 
solved once more that a government of the people should 
not perish from the earth. 

Let the scene shift from l^ew York — whose defensive 
organization has been outlined — to the national judicial 
center at Washington, the seat of our intelligence system 
and of those courts of law which have in -charge the 
national affairs. There, for many months, a few men have 
sat and watched pour into their offices such proofs of 
human perfidy and depravity as can never have been paral- 
leled in the most Machiavellian days of the Dark Ages. 

The daily press of the United States acted under a volun- 
tary censorship during the war, even while it saw pass 

82 



THE GERMAN SPY CASES 83 

by such news as never before had it seen in America. Now 
and again something of this would break which obviously 
was public property and ought to be known — the notorious 
transactions of von Bernstorff, von Papen, Dr. Albert, Boy- 
Ed, Bolo ; such crimes as the blowing up of the inter- 
national bridge in Maine ; the mysterious fires and explo- 
sions whose regularity attracted attention; the diplomatic 
revelations regarding Dumba and Dernburg and their col- 
leagues, which finally resulted in the dismissal of the 
clique of high German officials whose creed had been one 
of diplomatic and personal dishonor. 

The stories of German attempts to control several New 
York newspapers ; their efforts to buy or subsidize some 
thirty other journals in all parts of the country ; the well- 
known subsidizing of certain writers to spread propaganda 
in the press — all these things also necessarily got abroad 
to such an extent that the United States Government could 
not fail to take cognizance of it. At length, charges came 
out linking up a Washington daily with wealthy commer- 
cial interests of a supposedly pro-German nature, and a 
great deal of acrimonious comment appeared in all parts 
of the country. Washington resolved to investigate these 
charges. The process took the form, in the late fall of 
1918, of the appointment of a sub-committee of the great 
Senate Judiciary Committee, which popularly was known 
as the Overman Committee. 

The work of this committee, which summoned before it 
officers of the Attorney General's establishment in New 
York, agents of the Bureau of Investigation in Washing- 
ton, of Military and Naval Intelligence in Washington, and 
all the larger figures of the accused or suspected persons 
implicated in what now had become a wide-reaching 
national scandal, was continued over many weeks. The 
proceedings were made public regularly, and at last the 
readers of America began to get, at first hand, authentic 
ideas of what menace had been at our doors and inside 
our doors. It was before this Overman Committee that many 
of the great New York cases in which A. P. L. assisted 
passed to their final review. 

Perhaps the most important single witness called before 
this Senate committee was Mr. A. Bruce Bielaski, Chief 



84 THE WEB 

of the Bureau of Investigation of the Department of Jus- 
tice at Washington. Mr. Bielaski was on the stand for days 
at a time, and his testimony came as a distinct shock to 
those of us who heretofore had known little or nothing 
about the way in which our covert forces of espionage 
were combating those of Germany. It will not be needful 
to follow the records of the committee from day to day 
throughout the long period of its sittings, but some of the 
more important revelations made by Mr. Bielaski first may 
be brought to notice. 

It was brought into the record, for publication later by 
the State Department, that there was a regular system of 
secret messages between Count von Bernstorff of the Im- 
perial German Embassy at Washington, and the Berlin 
Foreign Office, by way of South America and Stockholm. 
All this time the Imperial German Ambassador was posing 
as a great friend of America, while in reality he was the 
chief of the German spy system in America — an example 
of all that a nobleman should not be. 

It was shown by Mr, Bielaski that the German consul in 
Chicago, Reiswitz, suggested as long ago as 1915 that Ger- 
man interests ought to buy the Wright aeroplane fac- 
tories in Dayton, Ohio, in an attempt to stop the shipment 
of aeroplanes to the Allies. Something stopped the ship- 
ment — let us suppose that it was not the efficiency of Ger- 
many so much as our own inefficiency, deplorable as that 
admission must be. 

Nothing came of this attempt, nor of the attempt to 
control the Bridgeport Projectile Works, in any very con- 
clusive and satisfactory fashion for Germany. A year 
later von Bernstorff begins to complain that German propa- 
ganda has not been producing much result. He cuts free 
from the German publication, ''Fair Play," and declares 
that he would be glad to be well quit of George Sylvester 
Viereck's "Fatherland." He asks his imperial government 
to give him $50,000 more, with which he would like to 
start a monthly magazine in the United States, This was 
the beginning of those general revelations which exposed 
alike the clumsiness of German diplomacy, and the 
endeavor of German espionage as against our own. 

Eeiswitz was declared by Mr. Bielaski to have advised 



THE GERMAN SPY CASES 85 

the continuance of the ''American Embargo Conference," 
which was set on foot to create opposition to our shipment 
of munitions to the Allies. He signified that this ought to 
be used as an influence to swing German voters in presi- 
dential elections. Mr. Bielaski brought into the record the 
** Citizens' Committee for Food Shipments," which was 
supported by Dr. Edmund von Mach of Cambridge. It had 
been organized in the home of a prominent New York 
citizen. 

There was brought in the record also the name of a 
newspaper correspondent — more is the pity for that — who 
had letters from Count von Bernstorff and Captain von 
Papen, military attache, declaring that this man was in 
the service of Cermany and Austria. The syndicate em- 
ploying this man, as is well known, cancelled his contract 
as soon as his real character and his pro-German attitude 
were revealed. 

The record also declared that a former correspondent of 
the Cologne Gazette in Washington, notified by the State 
Department to leave this country, had been in close wire- 
less communication with a German paper in Rotterdam. 

All of these revelations began to implicate certain 
Americans prominent in business and in politics, so that 
at once the transaction by the Senate Committee became 
the biggest news of the time, one recrimination following 
another and oner explanation another in rapid sequence. 
The Committee, none the less, ground on, and produced 
original papers which proved German methods beyond a 
doubt. Two code dispatches from von Bernstorff to the 
Berlin Foreign Office were put into the evidence, one of 
which was dated November 1, 1916, and stated: ''Since 
the Lusitania case, we have strictly confined ourselves to 
such propaganda as cannot hurt us if it becomes known.* 
The sole exception is perhaps the peace propaganda, which 
has cost the least amount, but which also has been the 
most successful." 

Again von Bernstorff states that it would not seem de- 
sirable for him to be held responsible for any articles in 
the subsidized newspaper, "when, as now, we are in a 
campaign of the bitterest character which is turning 
largely upon foreign policy." 



86 THE WEB 

Mr. Reiswitz of Chicago was on hand with estimates for 
his excellent master at all times. In regard to the Em- 
bargo Conference, he wrote in the first year of the war: 
"It would require an estimated amount of $6,000 or $7,000. 
The contemplated continuation of the enterprise would, in 
accordance with my opinion, be favorable to the entire 
German vote, and would facilitate Influencing German 
voters." So we have at once the first indication of the 
truth that the great German population of America is to 
be handled for the particular purpose of advancing Ger- 
many's interests, not only in America but all over the 
world. 

Mr. Bielaski read into the record documents alleging 
that the American Press Association was contemplated as 
desirable for German control. A memorandum by Dr. Al- 
bert, financial expert, stated that he would obtain a thirty 
day option on the American Press Association for the price 
of $900,000, with an additional $100,000 for news service. 
The memorandum in full was introduced before the Com- 
mittee. 

Professor von Mach was stated by Mr. Bielaski to have 
been active in behalf of interned prisoners, largely by way 
of his press agent, whom he supplied with inspiration. 
Von Mach was later brought before the Committee to ex- 
plain in person as best he might certain publications which 
he hadi put out in other form. 

Mr. Bielaski stated that German interests advanced to 
the Bridgeport Projectile Company $3,400,000, and that 
these interests got back $1,000,000 of this money by selling 
a large part of the company's product to Spain. 

Mr. Bielaski mentioned a society known as the ''Ameri- 
can Truth Society," organized in 1910 and reported to 
have been financed by the German government, to what 
extent was undetermined. One record of a transfer of 
$10,000 was shown. 

Records which had been taken from the office of Wolf 
von Igel showed that scarcely a ship sailed for a neutral 
country which did not carry a German agent. There were 
at least two American newspaper men who had been 
bought outright by Germany. Blackmail was not above 
the consideration of some of these fellow-conspirators. 



THE GERMAN SPY CASES 87 

Amounts of $1,000 to $5,000 had been paid to subsidize 
one paper which was dropped by the embassy. The owner 
then threatened the embassy that if he did not get any 
more money he might allow the paper to go into bank- 
ruptcy, and the ensuing publicity would show the subsidy. 
Dr. Albert was authorized to settle with this man to keep 
him quiet — he paid something over $3,000 in this instance. 
Continually there rose a loud wail from Dr. Albert and von 
Bernstorfe, ''Stung!" 

There were some recriminations between journals in 
America as to the nature of the "news" sent in by Ameri- 
can foreign correspondents locate<i in Germany. It was 
sometimes offered in explanation of the pro-German atti- 
tude of certain of these correspondents that it was natural 
that a man resident in Germany should hear one side only 
of the case. Others, more especially after the Senate reve- 
lations, were disposed to think there might be other valu- 
able considerations moving correspondents thereto. Indeed, 
names and dates and prices of perfectly good correspond- 
ents are now on record with the Overman Committee. 

The Bielaski testimony was strengthened by that of 
Major Humes and Captain Lester of Military Intelligence. 
Incidentally, the attempts of Germany to embroil us with 
Mexico were shown. Very interesting testimony was 
brought out from Carl Heinen, an interned German, for- 
merly a member of the Embassy staff, and a former consul 
general at Mexico City. Major Humes of M. I. D. put in 
the record the relations of Felix A. Somerfeld, an alien 
enemy who was an alleged Villa agent in New York, 
showing that in eight months Villa had received nearly 
$400,000 worth of rifle cartridges from Somerfeld, who was 
closely associated with the German agents, Carl Eintelen 
and Friedrick Stallforth, a prominent German banker in 
Mexico. The drafts on certain trust companies were pro- 
duced as part of the evidence. 

Heinen 's deposition was subscribed to by F. A. Borger- 
meister. Dr. Albert's confidential secretary, before he was 
interned at Fort Oglethorpe. This disclosed the disposition 
of $33,770,000 that passed through German hands. This 
money was obtained in loans from New York banks, or 
through the American agents of banks in Germany. 



88 THE WEB 

Secretary of War Baker had commanded Captain Les- 
ter of Military Intelligence to make public some of the 
secrets of this division which heretofore had been repos- 
ing in the silence of the tomb. Captain Lester testified 
to the confession of a former German officer, who admitted 
having been sent here as a propagandist. This man told 
the federal officials that in June, before the Archduke 
Francis Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated, the Ger- 
man government was plotting the war. Captain Lester 
quoted this man as saying that in the middle of June, 
1914, Bethmann-Holweg sent out inquiries to various sci- 
entists, professors and other intellectual persons to learn 
whether they were ready for foreign service in the event 
of war. There were one hundred and thirty of these who 
were told to be ready for instant call to service in North 
and South America, Japan and China, as directors of pro- 
paganda. They met in the Foreign Office in Berlin, July 
10, 1914, andi three weeks later sailed from Copenhagen 
for New York under charge of Dr. Heinrich F. Albert. 
In order not to arouse suspicion, most of them traveled 
steerage. 

Captain Lester, after a long day of testimony, referred 
to the '* Golden Book " — a book in which German- Amer- 
icans wrote their names after they had contributed to 
a German War Eelief fund. This book was to have been 
presented to the Kaiserin. The purpose of this book, in 
the belief of Captain Lester, was to get certain prominent 
German-Americans signed up as loyal to the fatherland, 
without letting them know they were doing it. 

Captain Lester, in later testimony before the Overman 
Committee, said that of the one hundred and thirty trained 
and educated German propagandists sent out nearly a 
month before the war started, thirty-one landed in the 
United States two weeks after hostilities had started in 
Europe. They became the starting point of an organiza- 
tion comprising between 200,000 and 300,000 volunteers, 
in large part German-Americans, who were secret spies in 
this country and who reported regularly to German con- 
suls and agents in widely scattered centers of the German 
spy system in the United States. 

It may cause a certain horror and revulsion in the hearts 



f 

THE GERMAN SPY CASES 89 

of the American public when they realize that a quarter 
of a million secret German agents were working here in 
America all the time against us — just about as many as 
existed of loyal Americans under the unseen banner of the 
American Protective League. The American public now 
can begin to understand something of the bitter battle 
which was fought between these two secret organizations 
— the quarter million German spies who live-d here, and 
the quarter million loyal American citizens who made this 
their home and this their country. 

Captain Lester showed that the group sent to America 
had definite instructions. One was to deal with commer- 
cial matters, another with political, and a third leader was 
to take up the South American and Mexican relations. 
General headquarters in New York were at 1123 Broad- 
way, arrangements having been made for these quarters 
in advance. The Hamburg-American Company, whose 
status toward us in the war is now notorious, took charge 
of the first work of the German Press Bureau. The origi- 
nal artist in this labor was replaced by a newspaper man, 
whose salary from Germany was later discovered to have 
been $15,000. A former major of the United States, once 
a newspaper man, was declared to have been hired at $40 
a week to report to these German headquarters any con- 
fidential interviews he might have with Washington offi- 
cials. 

The Lutheran church propaganda was brought definitely 
before the Overman Committee. Dr. Albert and Dr. Fuhr 
had this form of propaganda in charge. Captain Lester 
said that there are about six thousand Lutheran congre- 
gations in the United States, with a membership of nearly 
3,000,000, and that the propaganda was directed through 
pastors who had been born in Germany, or were alien 
enemies, or were of German parentage. There were over 
one thousand two hundred individual eases investigated. 
Readers of these pages will recall a few instances of the 
work of the American Protective League in looking into 
these many instances of disloyalty. Captain Lester said : 
" We have found in localities that the word had gone 
down the line to groups of clergymen that they were to 
preach sermons in favor of Germany, and that this had 



90 THE WEB 

been done. I investigated a case in New York where the 
clergyman admitted to me he had received instructions 
to preach such a sermon. From August, 1914, to April, 
1917, in hundreds of Lutheran churches, the continuous 
preaching was in favor and hope of German victory." 

It transpired that British Military Intelligence had in 
possession a great mass of documents taken by General 
Allenby in the capture of Nazareth. These were found 
among the effects of that Major Franz von Papen who once 
had been military attache in Washington, and whose name 
has become more or less familiar through some of the dis- 
closures regarding A^on Bernstorff and his activities. 

These papers, added to those taken by our own Intelli- 
gence officers from prominent Germans this side the water, 
go to build up the tremendous and tragic story of a 
nation's shame. Germany had a widely spread and elabo- 
rate plan to ruin this country. She failed. The proofs 
of her failure are now before the public, and they run very 
wide. They do not leave us feeling any too comfortable 
or any too sure regarding our own country. It is not 
pleasant to have listed, as part with the German records, 
those of our great newspapers which, in the German belief, 
might be classed as " neutral or favorable to Germany." 
It is not pleasant to see the names of newspaper men once 
held honorable and loyal, but now condemned to have had 
the itching palm and to have received German gold. There 
is nothing pleasant about the whole sordid, abominable 
story, nothing clean, nothing satisfying, nothing honor- 
able. But it shows that when we had this sort of work 
to do, we did it thoroughly and accomplished the mission 
on which our men were sent out. 

Some of the most sensational testimony was that brought 
out by Alfred L. Becker, Deputy Attorney General of New 
York, who had in charge a great many of the big espionage 
and treason investigations in that city, which was the 
American home and headquarters of the German spy army. 

Mr. Becker told of his own investigations, at the instance 
of the French Government, in the case of Bolo Pacha. 
The latter was executed as a French traitor, but was shown 
to have gotten Germany money in this country to the 
extent of $1,683,000. As is well known, Bolo had raised 



THE GERMAN SPY CASES 91 

this money to purchase the Paris Journal. This paper, 
however, did not change its loyalty to France, so there 
was a loud wail on the part of Germany's head spies that 
they had been swindled once more. 

Mr. Becker produced many British secret service docu- 
ments showing the elaborate governmental arrangements 
in Berlin to establish and maintain spy systems, both before 
and after the war. These documents listed, as agents, 
journalists, college professors, bankers, business men, con- 
sular attaches, and others of all ranks. Mr. Becker showed 
that a former German reservist, later an auditor of accounts 
in New York City, was told as early as 1909 that he would 
be valuable in case of war as a German propagandist in 
the United States. It was intendedi to get a good system 
of distribution of German '' kultur " established in Amer- 
ica. Then there could at once be put before American 
readers such stories as that systematic attempt made in 
1917 to advance the idea that Germany was on the verge 
of revolt and that the Kaiser soon would be overthrown. 
The German censor was back of the dissemination of these 
reports, it being maintained to paralyze the prosecution 
of the war in this country, where we had the pleasant 
theory that the German Kaiser and the German people 
were not at one as to the war. 

Mr. Becker also went into many transactions of Ambas- 
sador von Bernstorff, showing him to have been quite 
willing to buy the Paris Journal with German money if 
need be. He placed in the record correspondence which 
showed that when Dr. Dernburg left Germany for the 
United States in August, 1914, the German government 
deposited 25,000,000 marks with M. M. Warburg & Com- 
pany of Hamburg, which Mr. Becker stated was for pro- 
paganda purposes in the United States. Dr. Dernburg 
brought to this country a power of attorney from the 
Imperial Secretary of the Treasury, which gave him the 
distribution of the fund. Of this fund, $400,000 was turned 
over to Dr. Albert, head of German finances in New York, 
by Dr. Dernburg. 

Mr. Becker gave a long list of banks which had partici- 
pated in the sale of German bonds in this country, these 
banks being located in the principal cities of the east and 



92 THE WEB 

west. He named as well the chain of banks in which the 
German government opened accounts for certain purposes. 
He showed the credentials brought from the German chan- 
cellor by Dr. Dernburg to large financial institutions in 
New York, which were made repositories of German funds. 
The letter to one such banking firm in New York, from 
Warburg & Company of Hamburg, establishing the Ger- 
man credit of 25,000,000 marks, was made a part of the 
record, also the power of attorney enclosed by Dr. Dern- 
burg to the New York repository. 

Mr. Becker mentioned the underwriting of German 
bonds by a New York concern to a total amount of $9,908,- 
000. The proceeds were deposited with a trust company 
in New York to the order of the Imperial German Govern- 
ment, and were checkedj out by von Bernstorff and Albert 
for deposit in the chain of banks above referred to. It 
was the intention to make these banking institutions favor- 
able to the German ideas, and unfavorable to the American 
bond sales. An initial deposit was made with the Equita- 
ble Trust Company of $3,350,000 ; the Columbia ^ Trust 
Company had an initial deposit of $750,000 ; the Chase 
National Bank was alleged to have had an initial deposit 
of $125,000. As the proceeds of the German war loan 
notes accumulated, the deposits in certain of these New 
York financial institutions were increased. In order to 
avoid any legal complications, the German government 
opened) a blind account so that Dr. Albert could go on 
with his operations without any fear of detection by any- 
one desiring to bring legal action against him. These 
figures will give the reader some idea of the extent of 
the German finances. All tJiis money — and many times fhe 
amounts above mentioned — ivas spent for tJie one and only 
purpose of German propaganda and spy work in tJie United 
States. 

Major Humes took Dr. Edmund von Mach over the 
jumps in his cross-examination before the Overman Com- 
mittee. Von Mach came in for a gruelling by Senator 
Nelson and others of the Committee when he attempted 
to speak in justification of German practices in war. He 
did his best to carry water on both shoulders, but had a 
very unhappy quarter of an hour. He was followed and 



THE GERMAN SPY CASES 93 

preceded on the stand by certain literary gentlemen, col- 
lege professors and others, who undertook to explain to 
the Committee utterances they had made in print or else- 
where which were charged to show disloyalty to the inter- 
ests of the United States. It is impossible to give in any 
sort of detail the vast extension of the testimony before 
this Committee, or to mention the many widely extended 
forms of the German activities that ran in this country 
during the war. Perhaps we may summarize the German 
attitude, as well as in any other way, by citing the opinion 
of that delectable gentleman, the Count von Bernstorff, 
ambassador of the Imperial German Government , at Wash- 
ington, in his communication to the Foreign Office in Ber- 
lin, in explanation of his activities in the United States: 

It is particularly difficult in a hostile country to find suit- 
able persons for help of this sort, and to this fact, as -well as 
the Lusitania case, we may attribute the shipwreck of the 
German propaganda initiated by Herr Dernburg. Now that 
opinion is somewhat improved in our favor, and that we are 
no longer ostracized, we can take the work up again. As I 
have said before, our success depends entirely upon finding, 
the suitable people. We can then leave to them whether they' 
will start a daily, weekly, or a monthly, and the sort of sup- 
port to be given. In my opinion, we should alvrays observe 
the principle that either a representative of ours should buy 
the paper, or that the proprietor should be secured by us by 
continuous support. The latter course has been followed by 

the English in respect of the New York , and our 

enemies have spent here large sums in this manner. All the 
same, I do not think that they pay regular subsidies.. At 
least, I never heard of such. This form of payment is more- 
over inadvisable, because one can never get free of the 
recipients. They all wish to become permanent pensioners of 
the Empire, and if they fail in that, they try to blackmail us. 

I, therefore, request your Excellency to sanction the pay- 
ment in question. 

By way of general summary, it may be said that a well- 
defined organization long existed in our country, districted 
with the usual German exactness. German Naval Intelli- 
gence had charge of destruction of our shipping, naval 
sabotage, etc. Boy-Ed, naval attache at Washington, was 



94 THE WEB 

to have handled this. The notorious Rintelen, who seemed 
to have operated independently in New York, confined his 
activities rather to the making of bombs to be concealed 
on ships, to the incitement of strikes, munition embargoes, 
etc. J)r. Scheele, one of the three most prominent spies 
in America, was relied on to devise means of burning 
ships at sea. His method of bomb manufacture is spoken 
of later. 

What is equivalent to our Military Intelligence Depart- 
ment in Germany, in turn took up the question of sabotage 
in our ammunition works, and of getting contraband stuff 
into Germany. Scheele, who was taken in custody by the 
United States, declared that this country was divided into 
military districts, and that supplies of arms and ammu- 
nition were gotten together. He even declared at one time 
that he knew of 200,000 Mauser rifles stored in a German 
club in New York City. He was taken there by Govern- 
ment officials and located the place where the rifles prob- 
ably had been stored, although they had in the meantime 
been removed. 

Von Papen, military attache at Washington, had much 
the same work for the army that Boy-Ed had taken on 
for the navy. He often appears in the revelations of the 
German spy system, as in the plot against the Welland 
Canal, and the Vanceboro bridge, for which Werner Horn 
was arrested. Von Papen had the charge of the Bridge- 
port Projectile Company, which was intended to disor- 
ganize our manufacture of munitions. He had some sort 
of charge of Scheele, jthe German chemist spy, who is, per- 
haps, the best known example now remaining on American 
soil of the German espionage system. 

Special commissions to spread disease germs were sent 
to this country, as perhaps A. P. L. reading will have indi- 
cated. A good deal of this work failed because so many 
of the German spies were interned early in the war, and 
there has been no good opportunity since to replace these 
men properly, the war having traveled too fast when once 
America was in it. 

But what, perhaps, has shocked and horrified Americans 
more than anything else (and it cannot be too often iter- 
ated) was the knowledge that long before this war Ger- 



THE GERMAN SPY CASES 95 

many had a vast system of spies all through America. This 
system of international spies was originated almost a gen- 
eration ago by the Prussian War Office. There were sup- 
posed to have been about 30,000 spies in France before 
this war was declared. England also was well sown with 
such persons in every rank of life. We had our share. 

Dr. Scheele told the Department of Justice when he was 
taken in charge that for twenty-one years before the out- 
break of the European war he had been stationed in Brook- 
lyn as a representative of the German government. His 
'' honorarium," as he called it, was $125 a month. He 
had been a German major, yet owned a drug store in 
Brooklyn. A couple of months before war was declarlsd 
by Germany, he was told to get rid of his drug store — 
that is to say, to mobilize in America for the German 
purposes in the coming war. He said the drug store was 
doing very well. Others of these fixed spies got salaries 
about like that of Scheele, a retainer of $1,000 nominal 
salary being more frequent. In charge of all these lesser 
regular spies, who had been absorbed in the American 
citizenship, were the consuls and the high diplomatic offi- 
cials of the Imperial German Government in our country. 
It would be a very great deal to hope that this system has 
been actually extirpated. That it did exist is true with- 
out any doubt or question. 

Any A. P. L. man whose work was identified with the 
larger eastern cities will note many points of contact of 
the A. P. L. with D. J. and M. I. D. in the testimony 
brought before the Overman Committee. It is, of course, 
not too much to say that A. P. L. was at the foundation 
of much of that testimony itself. Many of the facts above 
brought out are of record in the A. P. L. files. 

In yet another line of Government work, the League has 
been very useful — that of cooperating with Mr. A. Mit- 
chell Palmer, Custodian of Alien Property, whose state- 
ments, made elsewhere than in the committee, constitute a 
rather valuable extension of the committee's information. 

Reference was made before the committee to the Bridge- 
port Projectile Company. Mr. Palmer some time ago 
announced that he had taken over 19,900 of the 20,000 
shares of the capital stock of that concern, and that there 



96 THE WEB 

had been reported to him other property of approximate 
value of $500,000 held by it for and in behalf of Germany. 

In a statement accredite-d to him, Mr. Palmer again 
bared the efforts of that malodorous quartet, Count von 
Bernstorff, Dr. Albert, Dr. Dernburg and Captain von 
Papen. It was the obvious intent of these to use the 
Bridgeport Projectile Company to prevent the manufac- 
ture and shipment of arms and ammunition to the Allies. 
The taking over of the stock of the Bi:idgeport Projectile 
Company, and the report by the company of the property 
owned by the German government, with the disclosures 
incident thereto, followed many months of persistent 
investigation. 

It was planned to have this corporation buy up all the 
available supplies of powder, antimony, hydraulic presses, 
and other supplies and materials essential to the manu- 
facture of munitions. The plan also involved the negotia- 
tion of contracts with the alliedi Governments to supply 
them with materials of war, apparently in good faith but 
in reality with no intention of fulfilling them. The ulti- 
mate expenditure of approximately $10,000,000 for this 
purpose was contemplated. 

In a cable from London printed in the American press 
on the morning of January 15, 1919, a statement was given 
from a German newspaper quoting Dr. Dernburg, the Ger- 
man propagandist who was expelled from America some 
years ago. Now Dr. Dernburg comes out in the Vienna 
Neue Freie Presse and states that Germany is depending 
upon " a certain drawing together of Germany and the 
United States." He believes that nothing should be done 
which will '' give foundation for a lasting alienation of 
the two peoples." He finds the Allies in victory somewhat 
difficult in their terms, so that Germans turn their eyes 
and expectations towar-d America, " and feel sure that 
their expectations will not come to grief." He goes on 
to say that Germany needs raw materials for the revival 
of her industries, needs credit, and also a market. He 
looks to America for all these, and says: "A fear of 
German competition does not exist in America in the 
same degree as in France and England. The hatred against 
the German people does not exist since the dynasty has 



THE GERMAN SPY CASES 97 

been overthrown, and it is quite possible that America 
will transfer English and French debts to Germany in 
order to give her money, for America seeks not destruc- 
tion but justice. Our two countries will be brought 
together, and as rivalry is out of the question, this coopera- 
tion will take a more tolerable form than in the case of 
our neighbors." He goes on to say: ''A careful eco- 
nomic policy, I think, will secure Germans sympathy, 
thereby providing economic help for our German indus- 
tries, now in collapse, and possibly awaken stirring echoes 
in two million Americans of German origin. . . . Amer- 
ica will have other interests in Germany allied with her 
by interest and by service rendered to Germany ; so taking 
all these points of view together, one may well consider 
that the earliest possible reconciliation between Germany 
and America will be good for the future of the world and 
will be welcomed by the German people." 

The human mind with difficulty can conceive of any- 
thing indicative of more brazen effrontery than the fore- 
going. That is the statement to-day of one of the arch- 
traitors planted in this country by Germany. No doubt, 
it may awaken a " stirring echo " at least in the hearts 
of the quarter million of German spies who worke-d with 
Dernburg here. 

The great danger to America is her unsuspiciousness. 
Having lived half a century cheek by jowl with these 
men, although in ignorance of their real quality, we are 
expected to go on living with them on the same terms 
that existed before the war. Great Britain, sterner than 
we, definitely has announced her intention of deporting 
German aliens — she intends to take no chances. "What 
the French will do is a foregone conclusion. German " kul- 
tur " is begging at the doorsteps of the world. 

Mr. Palmer, custodian of alien enemy property, can 
complete the story. For instance, there was loose talk 
around New York in the early days of the war that under 
one tennis court in New Jersey there was a gun emplace- 
ment from which New York could be bombarded. It was 
said that a German-owned factory building had a gun 
emplacement built into its floor with the same amiable 
intention. Custodian Palmer points out that there really 



98 THE WEB 

was a concrete pier in the port of St. Thomas, Virgin 
Islands, with a concealed base suitable for heavy gun 
mounts. That pier now belongs to the United States Gov- 
ernment. Before the war it was the property of a steam- 
ship company organized by wealthy Germans, of whom 
Emperor William was one. Its office was in the headquar- 
ters of the German spies in New York. After the United 
States went to war, the pier was sold to a Dane to cover 
the ownership. The Dane could not meet his note when 
it came due, andj Mr. Palmer conjSscated the pier immedi- 
ately as German property. 

Mr. Palmer stated, long before the Overman Committee 
began its testimony, that Germany, years before she started 
this war, had undertaken to plant on American soil a 
great industrial and commercial army. She believed she 
could keep America out of the conflict, for she had her 
organization in every state of the Union. It reached across 
the Pacific to Hawaii and the Philippines and up to Alaska ; 
in the Atlantic it was found in Porto Rico, the Virgin Islands 
and Panama. Industry after industry was built up, total- 
ing probably two billion dollars in money value, and bill- 
ions more in potential political value. 

'' Germany had spies in the German-owned industries 
of Pittsburgh, Chicago, New York and the West," says 
Mr. Palmer. '* She fought the war when we were neutral 
on American soil by agents sent here for that purpose. ' ' 

St. Andrew's Bay, not far from Pensacola, Florida, is 
a very fine harbor, the nearest American harbor, indeed, 
to the Panama canal. Mr. Palmer shows that this was 
wholly controlled by Germans, who were organized in the 
form of a lumber company and who had purchased thou- 
sands of acres of timber nearby. The wealthy owner of 
the German property never saw it. A concealed fort had 
been constructed there, and right of way on the shore had 
been purchased. Not even the Government of the United 
States could have obtained a terminal on St. Andrew's Bay 
unless it did business with the owner in Berlin. Such 
being the case. Custodian Palmer did not buy it at all — 
he simply took it in and added it to his list of more than 
two billion dollars' worth of German-owned property taken 
over since the war began. 



THE GERMAN SPY CASES 99 

There were German spies in our chemical works, metal 
industries, textile concerns, and in every line of our com- 
merce. They had a fund, mentioned at different times in 
the Overman Committee testimony, which was somewhere 
between thirty millions and sixty millions of dollars ^- all 
of it to be used in propaganda, subsidizing, subornation 
and destruction. 

There were three or four German firms in America which 
had much to do with the German declaration of war. 
They were instrumental in piling up the gigantic quanti- 
ties of American metals, to prepare that country for its 
onslaught in 1914. There were great stocks of copper 
accumulated in America to be sold to Germany after the 
close of the war. The actual ownership of these things 
was so very carefully concealed by a masquerading inter- 
changeable personnel that it required months of investi- 
gation to get at the real facts and to discover that the 
real owner was Germany itself. In taking over these metal 
businesses, Alien Property Custodian Palmer broke the Ger- 
man control of the metal industry of America. It has 
been intended to wipe out these industries so completely 
that they cannot get a start again. 

The New York Times of November 3, 1918, printed a 
quarter-page story in regard to some of these revelations 
which should be made not only a part of the record of the 
Senate Committee but of the records of America itself : 

When on April 6, 1917, America declared war on Germany, 
there was in New York as American representative of the 
Deutsche Bank of Berlin, a German by the name of Hugo 
Schmidt. As the world now knows, it was the Deutsche Bank 
which financed the von Bernstorff-Bolo Pacha plot to debauch 
France; which formulated a scheme to corner the wool market 
of the world, a plot the object of which was to gain control 
of the after-the-war trade in South America, and which, 
through its agents in this country and South America, was 
keeping tab on the political situation in this hemisphere for 
the Foreign Office in Berlin. How these plots and numerous 
others were planned and how they were to be carried out, 
was disclosed in a great mass of documents which will go 
down in history as the "Hugo Schmidt Papers." 

Despite the fact that he was one of the first of the Kaiser's 
subjects to be arrested after this country entered the war, and 



100 THE WEB 

despite the fact that he knew the all-important nature of the 
papers, Schmidt failed to destroy the documents. He acted on 
the theoi-y that the United States Government would not take 
them, and so he catalogued them and stored them away in his 
private office at Broadway and Rector Street, and in his living 
quarters in the old German Club in West Fifty-ninth Street. 

It was the plotting of BernstorfC and Bolo Pacha, with 
Adolph Pavenstedt, the enemy alien banker of New York, 
acting as a go-between, that caused the seizure of Schmidt's 
papers, with the unmasking of scores of German political and 
trade plots, involving financial backing mounting into the 
hundreds of millions of dollars. 

The revelations which have followed the seizure of these 
papers have filled pages in the newspapers of the United 
States and the rest of the world, and yet the story has not 
yet been half told. The new chapters in a story, which has 
been pronounced by Federal oflacials among the most interest- 
ing of all the disclosures brought about as a result of the 
great war, will be issued by Deputy Attorney General Alfred 
L. Becker, the man who exposed Bolo. 

The seizure of millions of dollars worth of German-owned 
property in this country has been made possible, to a large 
extent, by Mr. Becker's seizure of Schmidt's papers. But for 
its conclusive evidence of the true ownership of certain great 
properties, the Government of the United States would have 
had an almost impossible job in ferreting out the trade foot- 
holds of the Hun in America. To-day the Government is in 
control of great woolen mills, of huge plants now engaged in 
the manufacture of munitions of war, of splendid ocean-going 
steamships (not those of the Hamburg-American and North 
German Lloyd lines), which, until Schmidt's papers were 
studied, were supposed to be neutral or American owned; 
not to mention numerous other important plants, all of which 
were proved to be of enemy ownership and of which a majority 
have already been auctioned off to bona fide American owner- 
ship and control. 

Aside from what the future may disclose as a result of a 
further study and investigation of Schmidt's papers, the fol- 
lowing summary, prepared in the office of Mr. Becker, shows 
in a condensed form the results obtained to date as a result 
of the seizure of the German banker's books and other data: 

1. Part of documents that helped in the conviction of Bolo 
Pacha. 

2. Furnished evidence upon which Hugo Schmidt and 
Adolph Pavenstedt were interned. 

3. Furnished evidence disclosing German plot to hoard 



- THE GERMAN SPY CASES 101 

wools and other textiles for German account; furnished evi- 
dence enabling the Government to take control of Forstmann 
& Huffmann Company, and proving conclusively the German 
ownership of the Botany Worsted Mills. 

4. Furnished evidence upon which Eugene Schwerdt was 
interned. 

5. Furnished key of the secret telegraphic code of the 
Deutsche Bank, which since has been used by all the intelli- 
gence bureaus throughout the world to decode wireless and 
cable messages as well as correspondence. 

6. Furnished information to compile an index showing 
approximately 32,000 subscribers in America for war loans 
of the Central Powers. 

7. Disclosed payments of moneys made by the German 
Foreign Office to their diplomatic representatives abroad, 
notably to the German Minister in Buenos Aires, about 
8,000,000 marks ($1,600,000); to the German Minister in 
Mexico, about $178,000; to the Minister at Port-au-Prince, 
Haiti, $120,000, etc. 

8. Disclosed the payments made by the German Foreign 
Office, through the Deutsche Bank, to its diplomatic repre- 
sentatives in the United States, von Bernstorff, Boy-Ed, von 
Papen and Albert, to carry on different methods of German 
propaganda and frightfulness, as well as commercial aggression. 

9. Disclosed extensive plans for the control of South Amer- 
ican trade by German interests, and showed German methods 
of keeping a close scrutiny on the political situation of the 
several South American republics. 

10. Disclosed means adopted for carrying on German busi- 
ness in enemy as well as in neutral countries, and gave to the 
authorities the names of the German agents in every neutral 
country in the world. 

The arrest and internment of Schmidt and Pavenstedt was a 
direct result of the exposure of Bolo Pacha. Pavenstedt is the 
former head of the banking house of G. Amsinck & Co., and for 
years was among the best known of the Kaiser's subjects in 
New York. The Schmidt papers disclosed him as an intimate 
of von Bernstorff, Dr. Albert, Boy-Ed, and von Papen, and as 
the man to whom Bolo went immediately on arrival in this 
this country in the late winter of 1916. Pavenstedt negotiated 
for Bernstorff the financial part of the conspiracy which re- 
sulted in the payment to Bolo out of the funds of the Deutsche 
Bank in this country a sum totaling about $1,700,000. 

It was also disclosed that immediately following the out- 
break of the war, Boy-Ed and von Papen hurried to New York 
to establish propaganda and plot headquarters as per instruc- 



102 THE WEB 

tions received from Berlin. Boy-Ed, like Bolo, first sought 
Pavenstedt, who found room for the German naval attache in 
his own office in the bank building. Later, when the news- 
papers began to print stories of the questionable operations of 
the German naval and military attaches, they moved to other 
headquarters, the transfer being made "for reasons of policy," 
at the suggestion of Pavenstedt. 

The story of Bolo is known to every one, and it is not neces- 
sary to point out how the Schmidt papers led to that traitor's 
arrest and subsequently to his execution by a French firing 
squad. 

Here is an A. P. L. case which is recommended to the 
attention of those who write short stories of a detective 
nature: It has to do with a beautiful adventuress, who 
among other things was known as a countess. Let us not 
give the real name. We will call her Mrs. Jeannette 
Sickles, alias Countess De Galli, alias Mrs. Dalbert, alias 
Eose La Foine, alias Jeannette McDaniels, alias Miss Ellen 
Hyde, alias Jeannette La Foine — we need not give more 
of her names. The records of this case show that she was 
entangled with an employe of the Adjutant General's office, 
a night clerk, whose duties were to sort the mail. This 
clerk under examination admitted that he knew this lady, 
admitted that he had become very fond of her — was, 
indeed, in love with her; said she had kissed him and 
given him divers manifestations of her affection; said he 
ha-d met her often at hotels in the presence of others ; said 
she came to him for advice about certain unfair treatment 
which she thought the Department of Justice had given 
her; said he was going to marry the lady if he had a 
chance, as he had found her a very congenial woman. The 
writer of fiction can easily fill out the details. The adven- 
turess was intelligent, beautiful and accomplished. She 
was working close to many of our Government secrets; it 
would be her fault if she did not learn a great many 
things about this country and its government. 

It was stated that this particular Government clerk was 
known to be a socialist; was corresponding with Emma 
Goldman. Other charges were madie against him, not 
redounding to the credit of his moral character. He was 
rated as being a man slovenly in his looks and " with no 



THE GERMAN SPY CASES 103 

moral and mental stamina." In short, the field was pretty- 
good for the purposes of German espionage. Pages could 
be written covering the activities of this particular emis- 
sary. She was one of a certain type who will work any- 
where for money. During the Red Cross drives in Wash- 
ington, she was suspected by some of the operatives who 
were working for the United States Shipping Board. It 
was discovered that she was working in that department, 
also, as a welfare worker " under very mysterious circum- 
stances." She was cared for. 

There was a certain gentleman by the name of Dr. 
Frederick August von Strensch, who was arrested by the 
Department of Justice on testimony furnished by opera- 
tives. The worthy doctor might have been regarded as 
practically innocent — all he planned was the invasion of 
Canada and Mexico by German reservists located in the 
United States. This man had long made America his home. 
He was arrested on a presidential warrant. Along with 
him, there was arrested a certain dazzling stage celebrity 
represented to have been a countess in her more private 
life in Europe. A mass of correspondence was taken with 
these people, revealing the fact that 150,000 German reserv- 
ists were to be sent to Canada, about the same number 
into Mexico. Definite plans were mentioned referring to 
the assemblage of 25,000 men on the Canadian border. 
This one plot alone, if mentioned here in detail, would 
give all the data necessary for a sensational thriller in 
detective fiction. But it is not fiction. This sort of work 
actually went on within our country. Not only in this 
instance, but in many others, a deliberate and extremely 
dangerous attempt was made to embroil us with other 
countries. 

When the merchant submarine " Deutschland " arrived 
in this country on its celebrated voyage, a part of its 
cargo consisted of thirty-three thousand pounds of tung- 
sten, scarce in this country, but of value in making certain 
high grades of steel. After considerable sleuthing on the 
part of operatives, this tungsten was traced to a concern 
ostensibly American, but really owned altogether by Ger- 
mans. The way in which the identity of these steel manu- 
facturers was concealed is proof of the ingenuity and 



104 THE WEB 

resourcefulness of the master criminal minds of the world. 
As showing the thoroughness with which Germany works, 
one of the accused stated that when he came out of Ger- 
many to confer with his associates, the German censors 
destroyed all his papers, examined all his clothing, and 
stripped him and washed him with a solution of alcohol 
to eradicate any message which he might have painted on 
his skin! They were not above a suspicion on their own 
part. The Alien Property Custodian took over, as a result 
of these investigations, the Becker Steel Company, whose 
plant was located at Charleston, W. Va. The details of 
this case are extremely voluminous. 

The passport frauds have long been '* old stuff " in the 
American journals, and need be no more than referred to 
here. At the time German reservists were needed in the 
Oldj Country (there were more than a thousand very useful 
officers here who were much needed in the German army), 
the question of passports came up. These men could not 
get U. S. passports, so a general system of forged passports 
was set on foot in which the highest diplomatic officials 
of Germany in America did not scorn to take a hand. 
It was their idea of honorable service, one supposes. Cer- 
tainly, von Bernstorff — whom we kept in this country 
long after he should have been kicked out — "e^mployed a 
go-between who arranged and carried on a very consid- 
erable traffic in foreign passports. The ordinary price was 
about twenty dollars,— small business, truly, for an ambas- 
sador, but von Bernstorff, von Papen, von Weddell, von 
Igel and others worked together in this thing until the 
Department of Justice men got too hot upon their trail. 
A long and intricate story hangs upon this. It is enough 
to say that the frauds were unearthed and the lower and 
middle class operatives in the frauds were put away. Von 
Weddell, the most important of these conspirators, took 
ship for Norway. However, the ship on which he sailed 
was sunk by a German U-boat, — tragic justice in at least 
one instance. 

Another of the well known German enterprises against 
England and her Indian empire was brought to light in 
the so-called Hindu Plot — also very well known through 
newspaper publication. It came to a focus in a trial in 



THE GERMAN SPY CASES 105 

San Francisco, in which one Hin-du leader shot another 
and was himself shot the next instant in the court room 
by a deputy marshal in attendance — a fact which perhaps 
lingers in the public memory even in these exciting days. 
The Hindu plot, reduced to its simple and banal lowest 
common denominator, consisted in a more or less useless 
intrigue with certain more or less uninfluential citizens 
of Hindu birth. One phase of the activities was the pur- 
chase with German money in New York of several hundred 
thousand rifles and several million cartridges, which were 
to be shipped in a vessel from the Pacific Coast to meet a 
certain other vessel far out in the Pacific for transfer of 
the cargo. That cargo was to be delivered where it would 
do the most good to any Hindu gentleman disposed to 
rise against the British authority. It is a long and rather 
dull story — how everything miscarried for our friends 
the Germans and the Hindus. The rifles never were deliv- 
ered ; the conspirators were brought to trial ; the conspiracy 
was ended. And at the end, in a court room, and because 
he himself had a weapon in his hand, we got one Hindu 
Hun at least. 

As a mere trifle, it may be mentioned that Joseph 

W , an Austrian subject, was arraigned in the Enemy 

Alien Bureau at New York, charged with having in his 

possession a United States navy code book. W was 

said to be a '' collector of stamps." He had in his pos- 
session a map of South America, and a list of warships 
of the Brazilian navy. He had also certain sheets of paper 
carrying mysterious characters made up of letters and 
dashes. He said he had been a piano player and was tak- 
ing music lessons by mail. 

Lt. Christian S was before the Enemy Alien 

Bureau at the same time. He was once six years in the 

German army as an officer of the Uhlans. One day S 

called on United States Marshal McCarthy and asked him 
to help him get a job. He returned to find out if the 
marshal had found a place for him, and when the marshal 
said he had not, the German showed anger and remarked : 
" This is what makes us disloyal! " Marshal McCarthy 
arrested S and arraigned him before Perry Arm- 
strong, assistant chief of the Enemy Alien Bureau. In 



106 THE WEB 

answer to questions, S said he did not approve of 

German-Americans, that he approved of the sinking of 
the Lnsitania and endorsed what the Germans had done 
in Belgium. He was committed to Ludlow Street jail 
pending further investigation. 

Last May there was arrested in New York one Gustave 

B. K , of whom it was said: " Not only is he an 

officer of the German army and an intimate friend and 
adviser of von Bernstorff, von Papen, and Boy-Ed, but 
he is also a confidant, it is said, of the Kaiser and the 
Crown Prince. Though he has lived in the United States 
twenty years, he is still a German subject and is said to 
have paid out large sums of German money on Boy-Ed's 
account, having had as much as $750,000 for that purpose 
in one New York bank at one time." 

It is enough! Further details would be revolting. 
Enough has been shown to develop some idea of the tre- 
mendous centralization of these international spy activities 
on the eastern seaboard of America. It was with these 
that the cities of New York and Washington had the most 
to do. 



CHAPTER VIII 

THE SPY HIMSELF 

The Perverted German Mind — Stories of Brutal Indiffer- 
ence to Innocent Victims — Treason, Treachery, and Un- 
morality Hand in Hand — The Authentic Story of Dr. 
Scheele — Twenty-one Years a German Spy in America — 
The "Honor of a German Officer." 

Comment has been made elsewhere in these pages on 
the curiously perverted nature of the German intellect. 
It would not be truthful to call all Germans unintellectual 
or unscientific, for the reverse of this is in part true. But 
continually in its most elaborate workings, the German 
mind displays reversions to grossness, coarseness, and 
bestiality. Perversions and atrocities seem natural to their 
soldiers. These restrictions apply often to men in high 
authority. The German officer was perhaps even more a 
brute than the German private. 

Take the case of the man Thierichens, Captain of the 
Prinz Eitel Friedricli, which was interned at Norfolk in 
March, 1915, after a successful career of six months as 
a commerce raider. For a long time Captain Thierichens 
was hailed in this country as a sort of naval hero; he 
received the admiration not only of men but of women. 
It was only after a considerable career in adulation that 
the tide of public estimation turned in regard to this 
man. His private correspondence was investigated, and 
it was found that he was carrying on correspondence with 
women in this country which showed a depth of human 
depravity on his part which cannot be understood) and 
may not be described. 

This phase of German mentality was manifested also 
in the highest diplomatic representatives that that country 
sent abroad. These men had no sense of honor or moral- 
ity, but curiously enough, they were not aware of their 

107 



108 THE WEB 

own lack. They performed the most" pernicious acts of 
treason, and yet were never conscious they were commit- 
ting any crime. Von Bernstorff, Dumba, von Papen, 
Boy-Ed, Bolo Pacha, Rintelen and Dr. Scheele — such a 
record of treachery never has been known in all the his- 
tory of diplomacy; such a wholly devilish ingenuity, such 
an intellectual finesse in conspiracy, such a delicate exact- 
ness and such a crude brutality in destruction, never have 
been manifested on the part of any other nation in the 
world. The flower of centuries of civilization in Ger- 
many's case had been merely a baneful, noisome bloom, 
and not the sweet product of an actual culture. The efflor- 
escence of the German heart is the fungus of decay. Feed 
them? Why should we feed them? Trust them? Why 
should we trust them? Spare them? Why should we 
spare them? Receive them? Why should we receive 
them? Believe them? Why should we ever believe them? 

A fine band of conspirators was uncovered by investiga- 
tions of attempted atrocities against our eastern shipping. 
There was a man named Robert Pay who had invented a 
ship bomb, and who had all the German money he needed 
back of him. His machine was a sort of tank which he 
fastened to the rudder post just below the water line of 
a ship which was being loaded and which stood high in 
the water. As the vessel was loaded, it would submerge 
the tank and leave everything out of sight under water. 
Fay had worked out one of the most ingenious devices 
which any of the investigating Government engineers had 
ever seen. 

His scheme, as Mr. Strothers describes it in his book, 
"Fighting Germany's Spies," was to go under the stern 
of an ocean steamer in a small boat and to affix to the 
rudder post this little tank. Of course every reader will 
know that in steering a ship the rudder turns first this 
way, then that. Fay had a rod so adjusted that every 
time the rudder moved it turned a beveled wheel within 
the bomb just one notch. A certain number of revolutions 
of that wheel — which of course would be very slow and 
gradual — would turn the next wheel of the clock one 
notch. This would gear into the wheel next beyond it. 
The last wheel would slowly unscrew a threaded cap at 



THE SPY HIMSELF 109 

the head of a bolt which had, pressing upon its top, a 
strong spring. When the cap was loose the bolt would 
drop and it would act like a firing pin in a rifle, its point 
striking upon the cap of a rifle cartridge v/hich was 
adjusted just above a small charge of chloride of potash. 
Below the potash there was a charge of dynamite, and 
below that again a charge of the tremendous explosive 
trinitrotoluol — the explosive known as '* T. N. T." 

Suppose the device adjusted to the rudder of a steam- 
ship on some dark night in New York harbor. The cargo 
is loaded on the ship; inch by inch the ship sinks down, 
and this contrivance, spiked on the rudder post, is lost 
to sight. The ship steams out to sea. Every time she 
swings to change her course, every time the rudder is 
adjusted gently, a notch in the leisurely clock trained 
below her stern slips with a little, unheard click. Far out 
at sea — for what reason no one can tell — without any 
warning, the whole stern of the ship heaves up in the air. 
The water rushes in; the boilers explode. The ship, her 
cargo, her crew, her passengers, are gone. 

Well, it cost but little. A few dollars would make such 
a bomb. Von Papen looked it over. He did not object 
to the cost; indeed, Germany did not scruple to spend 
any sum of money of the millions she sent to America, 
provided it would produce results. But von Papen was 
not sure of this ; he did not think much of it. He declined 
it. As to the immorality of it, the f rightfulness of it — 
that never came into his mind at all. 

One recalls reading the other day that Great Britain 
had sho^only fourteen spies. We did not shoot one in 
America. 

The Federal grand jury in New York on December 6, 
1918, returned indictments charging treason against two 
men who already were in the Tombs awaiting trial on an 
earlier charge of conspiracy. This was the first actual trea- 
son trial since we entered the war. The men were Paul 
Fricke of Mt. Vernon and Hermann Wessells, an Imperial 
German Government spy, former officer of the German 
navy, then domiciled in America. Their co-defendants in 
the conspiracy trial were Jeremiah A. O'Leary, the Sinn 
Fein agitator ; John T. Ryan, a Buffalo lawyer ; Mme. Vic- 



110 THE WEB 

torica, also an. alleged German spy; Willard J. Eobinson, 
an American, and the late Dr. Hugo Schweitzer, one of 
the best known German business men in New York. 

It was alleged that the activities of Wessells had to do 
with ** ways and means of secretly placing explosives, or 
securing other persons secretly to place explosives, on 
wharves located in the United States, on ships and vessels 
in ports of the United States, and plying between ports 
of the United States and other countries; to blow up, 
injure, and destroy the same, and cause fires thereon, and 
thereby hinder and hamper the prosecution, of the war 
by the United States against Germany." 

The final overt act charged was that in July, 1917, Wes- 
sells requested " information as to ways and means of 
importing toy blocks from Switzerland)," his purpose being 
to find " ways and means of secretly and clandestinely 
introducing into the United States explosives and ingredi- 
ents of explosives concealed in toy blocks." 

Had any of these toy blocks come into the hands of 
innocent children, what matter to a mind which would 
regard the Lusitania sinking as justifiable war? What 
difference would it make to a man hiding T. N. T. in a 
child's toys whether he killed babies in. Flanders or on 
the high seas or in American homes? Such men are 
unmoral. One would call treason one of their lesser 
crimes. 

There was in New York City a certain German whom 

we will call von S . He was an inventor of a machine 

called an aeromobile, which, however, he said he would 
not sell to any government but that of Germany. He was 
arrested by agents of the Department of Justice, charged 
with uttering disloyal, scurrilous and profane remarks 
against the Government and military forces of the United 
States. He is a German-born citizen of the United States. 
Enter now another citizen of the United States who spoke 

as good German as von S did and who posed as 

*' an official representative of the German Imperial Gov- 
ernment in the United States." This latter gentleman 
said he wanted to buy the S invention for the Father- 
land. S turned himself inside t. at, saying among 

other things: " Everything is fair in rvar — gas, poison, 



THE SPY HIMSELF HI 

the bomb, the knife — we must stop at nothing. Germany 
must triumph over her enemies, I would not hesitate to 
destroy a whole city for the good of the German cause." 

After S had been allowed to talk sufficiently, his 

new friend, who proved to be an A. P. L. operative in dis- 
guise, caused his arrest by an agent in the Military Intel- 
ligence Division. S was struck speechless when he 

found he had been trapped. He was held in ten thousand 
dollars bail at the examination and committed to the 
Tombs in default of surety, "Would he have been admitted 
to any bail at all in Germany in similar circumstances? 

Out in a great city on Puget Sound, the Minute Men 
Division of the American Protective League, after an 
exhaustive investigation covering several months, arrested 
a certain man whom we will call Johnson. He was charged 
with conspiracy to doctor steel and iron in the Seattle 
ship-yards with a powerful chemical, intending to commit 
wholesale murder by wrecking troop trains. He was a 
pattern-maker employed in a ship-building plant when the 
Federal officials arrested him as an alleged German spy. 
At the time of his arrest, he had in his pocket a bottle 
containing a violent explosive. His scheme was to apply 
a strong acid to steel and iron in the shipyards, which 
would destroy these metals by eating them away. He 
planned to place acid on iron about to be melted, so that 
the resulting steel products would be valueless and the 
ship-building program delayed. He was charged with 
undertaking to damage the more delicate bearings of the 
ships, so that they would be useless after putting out to 
sea. It was part of his scheme, as developed by the opera- 
tives, to place acids in the journal boxes of cars, with the 
intent of destroying them while they were under way. 
The A. P. L. operatives claimed to be conspirators with 
him. "When one of them' pointed out that such a wreck 
would cost a large amount of life, the accused is said to 
have replied : ' ' Well, what 's the odds how we kill them, 
and what's the difference whether we kill them over here 
or over there? " That man, like many now behind bars, 
had no moral sense at all. 

Not all of these agents of Germany were men of the 
mental sh'^'^'^dness of their great spy leaders, Johnson 



112 THE WEB 

picked out a fellow worker and felt him out for a long 
period of time as to whether he would be safe as a con- 
fidant. This particular fellow happened to look like a 
German, and to talk like one. He also happened to be an 
A. P. L. operative. The accused, who is charged under 
the Espionage Act, does not yet know the identity of the 
man who informed against him. 

'' There was one old German in my district," says the 
report of a New York state chief, " who had spent thirty 
years in our region, surveying. He had been an officer 
in the Franco-German war, and was a recognized expert 
in real estate values, appraisals, etc. "When we went into 
the war, he made public a little statement telling of his 
German origin and of his American citizenship. He came 
under the suspicion of some, andj I looked into the matter. 
One of his men remembered hearing the German say, 
twenty years ago, when under the influence of liquor, 
that he had been a German spy in the war with France; 
he also remembered the German's story of a horse he had 
used, which he had trained to run, trot or walk at certain 
definite paces. By keeping track of the different gaits, 
as he jogged along in his buggy over France, he would 
measure certain localities and compute distances — informa- 
tion which proved valuable later. It was need of such 
information that made Germany sendi out secret surveying 
forces when she was preparing to attack France. We put 
this man under surveillance but could get nothing on him 
except that he tried to learn when transports sailed. 
Apparently he had done all his work before the war began, 
just as he had in France before the other war." 

An ingenious and dastardly instance of spy work and 

sabotage was recently uncovered in Detroit. Ajiton G , 

a skilled workman employed in a factory making air- 
plane fuel tanks, deliberately planned an aviation acci- 
dent. He took a tank which had been condemned because 
the bottom sump casting had been riveted into the wrong 
position, cut the rivets, properly adjusted the casting and 
soldered it in place, replacing the cut rivets so that the 
tank appeared 0. K. for use. It passed the plant's inspec- 
tion, and was installed in a plane before its dangerous 
character was detected. G has given up the making 



THE SPY HIMSELF 113 

of airplane tanks for the duration of the war — and 
longer. 

Of all the individual spies located in America, one of 
the most note-d and most able was that Dr. Scheele else- 
where mentioned as a Brooklyn druggist. Dr. Scheele 
was taken in Cuba by the United States Government after 
he had fled the country just ahead of the hounds. This 
accomplished student and practitioner of villainy was one 
of the finest chemists Germany ever produced — a descend- 
ant of a family of chemists. He was a major in the Ger- 
man army. That this man had intellect is beyond any 
question — he had more than that; he had genius. He 
was one of the finest examples of the great development 
in Germany of commercial chemistry. Men such as he have 
rendered services valuable beyond any price in almost all 
ranks of commerce, and Germany's military orders were 
to get them at any price, all of them, for German-con- 
trolled concerns. Such men have helped give Germany 
her tremendous and powerful place in the commerce of 
the world. This unique genius in research, this ability to 
divine elemental secrets, allied with the hard working, 
abstemious, thrifty, free-breeding traits of the German 
people, made that nation very strong in her position among 
the world forces. 

But here again comes in the proof of the assertion made 
in regard to the debased activities of the German nature, 
not only in its emotional manifestations but in its intel- 
lectual processes at well. Perhaps the one thought which 
will awaken the bitterest resentment and the most long- 
lived suspicion in the American mind against the German 
citizen is the revelation of the fact that German spies lived 
among us so long as accepted citizens, made their business 
successes here, profited by our free-handed generosity, 
while all the time they were agents of Germany and 
traitors to the United States. 

In the preceding chapter, reference was made to some 
of these long-term spies, as they may be called — men who 
were sent out on their iniquitous missions even in time of 
peace. The best known of these men is Scheele, who, when 
apprehended, was trying to get to Europe. Now he is 
hugging the deputy U. S, marshal in whose custody he is. 



114 THE WEB 

for fear some Grerman will kill him for turning state's evi- 
dence and revealing the whole secret German spy system in 
the United States. This man is the most interesting of all 
the known spies. 

In brief, Scheele came over to this country quietly, a 
man quite unknown, just twenty-five years ago. For 
twenty-one years, up to the outbreak of the war, he 
receive-d regularly $125 a month as his " honorarium " 
from the German Government. He was one of the fixed 
location spies — one of very many. He went into busi- 
ness, opening a drug store in a New York suburb, and he 
prospered there. He was not alone. There were many 
of his people about. He met more than one prominent 
German living in New York City — most of whom now 
live in Fort Oglethorpe. In these influential circles, in 
continuous close touch with Berlin, supplied all the time 
with money from Berlin, Scheele was appraised at his true 
worth as a possible agent of destruction. 

Came to him, therefore; one day, a captain in the service 
of the North German Lloyd Steamship Company. This 
man carried a card. From whom? No less than von 
Papen, a man accepted as bearing the credentials of a for- 
eign government, entitling him to courtesy in our own 
country — von Papen, one of the master plotters located 
on this side of the sea. Scheele was asked to invent some 
sort of infernal machine by which ships could be set on 
fire after they had left port and were on the high seas. 
That was all. If innocent persons died, what matter ? It 
must be a secret sort of thing, this machine, which could 
be distributed without creating a suspicion. It must be 
efficient. It must be small. It must work without much 
mechanism. And it must be deadly sure. This was the 
sort of warfare — allied to bestiality in France and Bel- 
gium, and red ruthlessness on the high seas — that was to 
make Germany loved and revered in the whole world, as 
now, amazingly enough, she asks us to be — we, her Amer- 
ican brothers " with whom she has no quarrel." 

Very well, the order was accepted by Scheele. It was 
simple for this man, a mechanical and chemical genius. 
Of course, he needed some materials. Where should he 
get them except among fellow Germans? And were not 



THE SPY HIMSELF 115 

the entire interned crew and corps of officers of the 
interned German steamships, which were lying in the Hud- 
son, available for his purposes? Scheele got all the lead 
and tin and like material he needed there. The Scheele 
cigar bomb, as it came to be called, was only three or 
four inches long and an inch or two in diameter. Inside 
of it was a thin partition made of tin. In a cavity at one 
end was placed a certain chemical; in the other end, 
divided from it for the time being by a partition sheet 
of tin, was a strong corrosive acid. When the ends were 
sealed the work was done. 

It was relatively simple to put two or three of these in 
a pocket and casually go aboard a ship, or through the 
influence of simple and kindly German neighbor people, 
have someone else go aboard the ship and drop such a 
bomb into a coal bunker ; or better, among the cargo. The 
bomb needed absolutely no attention on the part of any- 
one. Scheele, a competent, thorough, painstaking German 
scientist of Germany's highest and best type, left nothing 
to chance. He experimented from time to time, and veri- 
fied his experiments. He knew how thick to make that 
partition of tin. He could make it of just such a thickness 
that the acid could eat through it in two or three or four 
days, so that if a certain steamship carried that bomb on 
the high seas for two or three or four days, in the course 
of time the acid would eat through the tin. Then, in the 
combination of the chemicals, heat would be generated and 
a fire was absolutely certain. 

These things sound like the invention of a diseased 
mind — like the romance of some excited intellect con- 
cerning itself with unreal and impossible events belonging 
in another age — another world than ours. But they are 
true, actually true. Scheele, backed by these influential 
Germans in New York, backed by the diplomatic repre- 
sentatives of the German Government itself — we might 
as well say by all Germans also — actually did these things 
in this country. 

Not one, but many ships broke into flames in mid-Atlan- 
tic. Sometimes the damage was not complete, but quite 
frequently the loss of a merchant ship was absolute. We 
cannot tell how many millions of dollars of the world 's prop- 



116 THE WEB 

erty were lost in this way through the activities of this 
one perverted mind. Our censorship took care of some 
of that. Those losses of foodstuffs, of fuel, of clothing, 
had to be paid for by someone. They were subtracted 
from the world's useful supplies. Who paid for them? 
You and I andj all the taxpayers of America paid for the 
losses. One does not know how much Scheele himself got 
out of it — not very much; for, two months before this 
war was ** forced " on Germany, Scheele was ordered to 
sell his drug store, and did so — though he complained he 
was doing very well in it. His salary is not known to 
have been raised. 

One of the astonishing and disgusting developments of 
this war had been the knowledge gained of the unspeakable 
depravity and) degeneracy of the German mind. There 
are in the Government records at Washington countless 
cases of German officers who, over their own signatures, 
have written things so foul and filthy, so low, lewd and 
bestial, that no pen on earth ever would rewrite them save 
one of their own sort. The Huns were not clean-minded 
fighting men, but in large percent animal-like, low, cruel, 
cunning, unscrupulous, unchivalrous even in their most 
arrogant ranks. This explains out of hand the atrocities 
in Belgium and France and shows what atrocities were 
waiting for America had this war been won by Germany. 

Germany fell because she was rotten in heart and in 
soul. That was why she fought foul — ^because she was 
foul, foul to the core. It was an amazing and an abhorrent 
" kultur," this which she offered to the world. It is no 
wonder that "her ways of' warfare were cruel, merciless, 
unchivalrous; no wonder that she crucified men and tor- 
tured women and children until there is no human way 
ever of squaring the account with her. She no longer 
belongs on the clear avenues of the world, and the one 
epitaph she has earned is the one word, ' ' Unclean ! ' ' 
History has not usually recorded such statements. No. 
And history has not usually been in the way of discover- 
ing such truths. 

It was this Dr. Scheele, an upper class German who 
lived here twenty-five years as a spy, who, under German 
Government order, started this friendly plan against Amer- 



THE SPY HIMSELF 117 

ica. You cannot call that military genius. You cannot 
call such a man a soldier. His is simply an instance of 
perverted) intellect. It is not even to be dignified by the 
term malicious. It is unmoral, base, intellectually obscene, 
as Thierichens was emotionally obscene. 

But Scheele himself, now grown old — for he was a 
major when he came to America twenty-five years ago — 
is to-day a pleasant man of genial manner. He used to 
visit the home of one of his guards — to whom he stuck 
very close in his walks on the street, the guard having 
told him he would kill him on his first step toward escape 
— and there he always was kind to the children. ' ' He 
was such a nice man," said the guard's wife — ''so 
courtly." He is a very egotistical man, and it requires a 
certain playing up to his vanity to get him to talk freely. 
Yet he has talked freely, and has given much valuable 
information to the United States. The men who accom- 
pany him in his city walks would dearly love to drop him 
out a high window or see him try to escape. They do not 
love him. 

But Scheele loves himself. Asked one time as to some 
statement he had made, he took offense at suspicion of 
his veracity. He, twenty-five years a spy in America, a 
state 's-evidence man at last against his original country 
which he thus betrayed in turn, at this imputation slapped 
himself on the chest and said: ** On my honor as a Ger- 
man officer! " Great God! 

In his statements he was not often found tripping. For 
instance, when he said that 200,000 rifles for German revo- 
lutionists were stored in a German club in New York, 
its searchers did find evidence that rifles had earlier been 
stored there, but later removed. Scheele was taken from 
"Washington to New York to point out these rifles. He 
would not go with less than four men as a guard. He is 
always afraid some German will kill him. Oh, yes, he is 
still alive. The secret men of the United States know 
where he is. He can be seen. He will talk. He is an 
elderly, kindly-looking man now — a man who speaks of 
his ' ' honor as a German officer ! ' ' 

The story of Scheele 's ferreting out is of itself a strange 
and absorbing tale, which shows how our own men were 



118 THE WEB 

on their guard. To begin with, his cigar bombs did not 
work infallibly — perhaps the motion of the ship would 
slop the acid away from the tin partition so it would 
not cut through quite on schedule. One or two bombs 
were found on shipboard. One or two were found unex- 
ploded in the coal when ships were unloading at Bordeaux. 
The bombs were traced back to New York. Dock laborers 
had been bribed to put them aboard ships sometimes — 
and sometimes were ashamed to do so and dropped them 
into the water instead. Men who can decipher code can 
run a trail like this. Scheele soon was located. 

But Scheele had fled long before. Why? Whither? 
The Imperial German Government knew Scheele was going 
to be caught. The large spies of the German embassy 
promised to pick Scheele up at' Cuba — where he had taken 
temporary residence under the practically German cus- 
tody of a Spaniard who kept him in a castle which also 
was a prison. And so it came to pass that when the 
ambassadorial train of the Imperial German Government 
was kicked out of America and all these big spies were 
named openly, and all the news of that big spy system 
began to break, von Bernstorff, von Papen and company 
sailed for Germany — but they did not take any chances. 
They did not stop at Cuba. 

Scheele was abandoned by his people — he was an actual 
prisoner in Cuba. He was bitter. He might talk under 
a third degree. An A, P. L. man of New York Division, 
Richmond Levering, now Major Levering, U. S. A., went 
to Cuba, got access to Scheele, took him to Key West, 
took him back again to Cuba — but took him back to an 
actual prison. Then, finding he had no place in the world, 
and no friend whose protection he could not buy, he sold 
his " honor of a German officer " to the United States, 
and in return, he is still alive, having paid as the price 
of life the full story, so far as he knows it, of the German 
Imperial spy system from Wilhelmstrasse to Brooklyn 
Bridge. 

And there you have a spy, a real one, a man who planned 
murder and arson on the high seas, death to unknown 
hundreds of men, women and children; the man who 
invented the mustard gas that tortured and killed our boys 



THE SPY HIMSELF 119 

and those of our allies on the line in France, and whose 
perverted intellect did none may know what else of subtle 
crime " on the honor of a German officer." 

Scheele made many revelations which never heretofore 
have been made public, because they were humiliating and 
shocking to us,- and showed how completely we had been 
befooled for years. He said: " We knew all you had, 
everything, and we used all you had.. You invented the 
submarine — and we used it, not you. You invented the 
airplane — and we used it, not you." (Which is true, 
as our boys in the Argonne battle would testify.) " If 
you had had new gases, we'd have got them. We had 
four men for years in your Patent Office, and you never 
knew it. We knew every invention useful to us. We had 
a man in your army secrets, one in your navy." 

** But how could you do such things — how could you 
have men inside of our Government in that way? " inter- 
rupted the man to whom he was unburdening himself. 

*' Good God! " said Scheele, " we've got them in your 
Congress, haven't we? " 

It is enough. And now comes Dernburg and believes 
that Americans will hail the '' new understanding " 
between Germany and America ! He believes that we shall 
be very good friends, now that the war is over. 



CHAPTER IX 

HANDLING BAD ALIENS 

Dealing with Dangerous Propagandists — High and Low 
Class Disloyalists — The Alleged Americanism of the Kai- 
ser's Kultur-Spreaders — A Few Instances of A. P. L. 
Persuasions. 

in the early days of the A. P. L., Mr. Bielaski, Chief of 
the Bureau of Investigations of the Department of Jus- 
tice, issued an explicit letter of warning and advice to all 
League members as to their conduct regarding aliens. The 
Attorney General often publicly denounced lynchings. 
The Bureau of Investigation always counseled prudence 
and full justice to all. Surely, the aliens, the unnatural- 
ized, the strangers and visitors of other races than our 
own, caught in this country with or against their will by 
the declaration of war, can offer no complaint regarding 
the fairness and generosity of the treatment accorded 
them. These enemies of ours, these spies, propagandists 
and pro-Germans, had better treatment than they deserved 
then and better than they deserve now. We have been 
too temperate, too fair, too lenient with them. The mod- 
eration of the A. P. L. work, indeed, all our Government 
work, with traitorous persons living in America, has been 
a matter of astonishment to all the European nations, who 
perhaps knew more of the alien enemy type than we did 
ourselves. 

A reference to the table of reports of all division chiefs 
will show that investigations for ** disloyal and seditious 
utterances " far outnumber those under any other head. 
The truth is that Germans and pro-Germans generally were 
mighty cocky in their talk in this country. Arrogant and 
assured that Germany was going to win this war — for 
which, as most of her amateur and all of her special spies 
knew, she had been preparing for many years — they 

120 



HANDLING BAD ALIENS 121 

talked as though, they owned America and might say or 
do what they liked at any time or place they pleased. 
As against this offensive conduct, the A. P. L. showed two 
phases. First, it savedi many a German life, perhaps of 
little worth, by preventing large and free-handed lynch- 
ings; and in the second place, it exercised so potent an 
influence on openly sneering and boasting pro-Germans 
that very soon they ceased to talk where they might be 
heard. That any such persons ever changed very much 
in loyalty, that they ever gained any more love for our 
institutions or felt any less love for those of Germany, the 
author of this book, after reading some thousands of 
A. P. L. reports of investigations, frankly does not believe. 
That it was fear of justice in one or another form which 
quieted them, this author frankly does believe. And that 
fear only is going to hold down such citizens in the 
future, he believes with equal frankness. In their hearts, 
these people have learned- no new principles, although in 
their conduct they may have learned new counsels. 

America handled her racial war problem as though she 
were afraid of it. There is small ultimate benefit in that. 
The only reconstruction policy — political, commercial or 
industrial — by which America really can gain, is one which 
is going to say: ''This country is America. It has but 
one flag." It is time we laid aside our old vote-catching 
methods, our old business timidities, and quit ourselves 
like men. Indeed, it is impossible to get in touch with the 
mass of the A. P. L. testimony and not to feel bitter and 
more bitter toward the traitors who have been left immune 
under our flag — ^not to feel sure andj more sure that we 
have handled them too gently and to our own later sorrow. 
All this is written in absolute deliberation, with a certain 
feeling of authoritativeness. It has been given to few men 
to read the mass of testimony which the writing of this 
book necessitated. To do so was to sit in touch of the 
greatest reflex of the real America that perhaps ever has 
existed. We deal here not with theories, but with actual, 
concrete facts. 

"We do not give authorized flgures as to the alien enemies 
interned, but it is sometimes said that we interned only 
about five thousand aliens, that we paroled a very large 



122 THE WEB 

number, deported a few, and revoked citizenship for only- 
two. It was said that the close of the war would set free 
a great many of these persons who will resume their resi- 
dence, if not their former activities, in America. It is true 
that we have not executed a single German spy. That is 
an astonishing commentary on our laws and our Govern- 
ment in times such as these. Let those who are wiser than the 
writer of this book can claim to be after the extraordinary 
experience of studying the real America, pass on the wis- 
dom of such leniency in its bearing on later Bolshevism in 
America. Other nations certainly have acted otherwise. 
Sometimes they have smiled at us as the easy mark of 
all the nations. 

Certainly, however, whatever may be the personal belief 
of many citizens of this country, our public documents 
prove the wish of our Department of Justice, all its Bu- 
reaus and all its auxiliaries, to be just and more than just, 
generous and more than generous, to those not in accord 
with our laws and) institutions, — a strange contrast for the 
reflection of those ' * simple and kindly ' ' folk who for four 
years have exulted in the outrages Germany has wrought 
upon the world, and who for four years have given the 
world the most detestable examples of treacherous 
espionage. 

At times we did teach some of those gentry that there 
was a God in Israel. If as yet we have deported few or 
none of those interned aliens — all of whom, and a hundred 
thousand more, surely ought to be deported — if we have 
received back into our tolerant friendship those who have 
been for some time warned out of our Government zones, 
at least we have trailed down certain of the more active 
cases of Kultur spreading in America. Space confines us 
to very few of those, chosen almost at random from the 
thousands at hand in the records. 

The chief centers of alien enemy activity in this country, 
as might have been expected, were the great industrial 
towns and cities. It was in these places that the A. P. L. 
fought its hardest fights and achieved its greatest 
triumphs. 

The great city of Seattle was no exception. The report 
of the splendid work it did all through the far Northwest 



HANDLING BAD ALIENS 123 

ought by every right to appear in full. We must be con- 
tent, however, to extract from the Seattle record a couple 
of interesting incidients of trailing aliens. 

The first suspect was a German who had changed the 
spelling of his name. Outer appearances were in his favor. 
He resided in a good part of Seattle, in a good bungalow, 
and showed all the insignia of the Red Cross, Liberty 
Loans, etc., in his windows. He was unassuming in his 
manner and openly talked patriotism. However, as the 
case proceeded, it was found that he associated with a 
domestic of a citizen, and that this domestic collected 
Canadian bills and sent them to Canada. Tracing this clue, 

the suspect C was found to have come from Canada 

where he had been interned. He had made his escape and 
come to the United States without permission. He had a 

covert postoffice box in the name of Joe M (his real 

German name was K ), and he had been an alien 

enemy agent of Germany. He was arrested by an A. P. L. 
man, brought before Federal officials and later was interned 
for the period of the war. 

In the possession of this man there was found a long list 
of names of Germans, all of whom were afterwards found 
to have served in the German Army, but who were now 
corporals or privates in the American Army. These nien 
were stationed mostly in forts on Puget Sound, Through 

these men, C had a well established system leading 

into the Navy Yard of Puget Sound and the forts protect- 
ing the harbors. There was taken into custody a photog- 
rapher, T , who had in his possession photographs 

of nearly everything in and about Fort Worden. T , 

who was associated with C in some manner, was 

given a hearing and released on ten thousand dollars 
bail. The money was immediately put up by Germans 
then under suspicion at Fort Townsend. At about this 

time, T 's house took fire and burned down. One 

trunk was saved, of which he quickly took charge when 
released on bail. There were other arrests made in this 
case, regarding the final issue of which nothing can be 
said at this writing. So much at least for the gentle and 
unassuming Mr. C , quiet citizen, 

Seattle had another case which ended in an internment, 



124 THE WEB 

that of Gus S , whose story is succinctly covered in 

the words of the Seattle Chief : 

Early in January, 1918, our organization was requested by 

the Department of Justice to get a line on one Gus S , 

generally believed to be a German who worked along the 
water front dismantling boats and storing the material, which 

he afterwards sold for junk. Operatives H and B 

were detailed on this case, and confirming the suspicions of 

the authorities, it was established that S had a cache 

in a remote district of the Sound where he buried the stolen 
articles until they had accumulated in suflBcient quantity that 
he could sell them wholesale. 

It was found that he had four points established on the 
Sound as headquarters; one of them situated about forty miles 
north of Seattle where he could dodge in and out among the 
numerous islands on the Sound and evade the authorities. 

On the morning of January 9, 1918, one Dr. W 

voluntarily appeared at the office of the American Protective 
League, 615 Lyon Building, stating that he was a German 
and had done considerable intricate work in the Government 

and that he was anxious to serve our organization. W 

was immediately placed under investigation, and it developed 
that he was a German alien enemy, and was in the habit of 
violating his alien enemy permit. It was also discovered that 
he owned and occupied a houseboat on the East Waterway in 
the ship-building district, in the prohibited zone on the water 
front. This place was visited and examined. Our operatives 

found documents proving that W was an alien enemy 

and a Reserve Officer in the German Army. He had on board 
the houseboat an extensive chemical laboratory and a complete 
chemical library in the German language; also technical books 
on wireless and other matters of military importance. The 
chemicals were seized, sent to the Immigration Department 

and examined by a chemist. W was placed under 

arrest, given a hearing, and ordered interned for the duration 
of the war. 

It developed that W had communicated with S 

and warned him of his approaching arrest, and that S 

had departed north in his boat. The League officers immedi- 
ately got in touch with their organization in Skagit County, 

and operatives were detailed to watch for S . When he 

came into the Flats, they apprehended and placed him under 
arrest and seized his boat. On board was found quite an 
arsenal of assorted makes of guns. The examination took 
place at the time an opportunity was being given alien enemies 



HANDLING BAD ALIENS 125 
to register as such, and this opportunity was given S 



at the Immigration Station. S , however, maintained 

that he was an American citizen; he could not produce papers 
but his explanation was as follows: That he had filed his 
declaration to become an American citizen and that, by reason 
of his activities against the law, he had been arrested and 
sentenced to serve six years in the penitentiary at Walla 
Walla; that while he was serving out his sentence, the date 
for him to appear for examination and acquire his seoond 
papers had expired, and that on account of his inability to 
appear, this automatically made him an American citizen. 
Therefore, he refused to register as an alien enemy. At the 

conclusion of the hearing, S was ordered interned and 

sent to Utah. 

S had, for the previous six weeks, been hovering 

around the depot tanks of the Standard Oil Company. From 

the association of W and S and the facts that 

were disclosed in the investigation, there is no question in 
the minds of the officers of the organization but that they 
were about to caijse an explosion at this plant as well as at 
one of the shipyards. 

Yet another good report from the Seattle Chief covers 
the case of M. J. B , alias W. J. H , who appar- 
ently was unable to keep all his life as secret as he might 
wish. We cannot improve upon the report of the Chief as 
it was written : 

B appeared in Seattle early in December, 1917, and 

took rooms at the P Hotel. From his acts it was imme- 
diately noted by our operatives at the hotel that B was 

receiving packages under the assumed name of W. J. H , 

which name he explained to the clerk was used as a code. He 
received no visitors except two persons of foreign birth, and 
It developed that upon going to the hotel he was without ready 
money to sustain his expenses. Within a short time, however, 
B was found to have not only sufficient funds to main- 
tain his dally expenses, but quite a surplus, which he was 
using lavishly. He claimed to be a working man, but his 
hands, dress and facial appearance were certainly those of a 
man who was accustomed to appearing in society, and taking 
life rather easy. 

Following certain suspicious activities on the part of 

B , an investigation thereof disclosed the fact that he 

was having considerable correspondence with Germans in the 



( 



126 THE WEB 

United States, and that lie liad the names and addresses ap- 
parently of every German in the United States. It further 
developed that he had cards made in Seattle, representing 
himself as being connected with a bank in Detroit. He was 
placed under arrest and sent to the Detention Station in the 
Department of Immigration to establish his nationality and 
status. He claimed to have been taking orders for a toy bal- 
loon concern on W Avenue, th^ proprietor of which 

stated that B had worked for him on a commission 

basis, but that his total commissions for the first year would 
amount to about $86.00, approximately. This was the merest 
trifle compared to the totals believed to have been spent by the 
subject, and he evidently had some other source of income than 
that derived from toy balloons. 

The subject was well educated, spoke four or five languages, 
and it developed that he had formerly held a commission of 

lieutenant in the Austrian army. B was a sketch artist, 

very clever, and in passing through the country, was accus- 
tomed to make landscape scenes of various places of interest 
from a military standpoint — which sketches, together with 
certain puzzle sketches, were believed by the officers of the 
organization to be for the purpose of furnishing information 
to the enemy. 

The specific charge was thought by him to be that he was 
an I. W. W., and he requested the permission of the Immigra- 
tion authorities to address a letter to a friend, which permis- 
sion was given. This letter, which, of course, was censored 
by the authorities, addressed a German at Bremerton, close 
to the Navy Yard, and complained of his arrest as an I. W. W. 
He informed this friend that he had done a great many things 
which he "had been ordered to do," but that he was not, nor 
had he been, requested to be an I. W. W., and he requested aid 
for his release. 

A very complete examination was made of B ' — and his 

entire movements since arriving in this country. It developed 
that he was born at Frankstock, Moravia, in Austria; that he 
was twenty-four years of age, had had military training, had 
just completed same prior to departing for this country, and 
was a Second Lieutenant in the 54th Royal Imperial Infantry. 
He was in Hamburg and Paris during 1914, and just prior to 
the outbreak of the war, he came to New York, passing through 
England on this trip, since which, time it developed that he 
had been receiving money from Germany, and had been oper- 
ating in the cities of Hoboken, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago, 
Seattle, Helena and Spokane. Regardless of the fact that he 
was heir to an estate in Austria and was supposed to have 



HANDLING BAD ALIENS 127 

reported to the consul (Austrian) in Seattle, he claimed he 
had not done so. 

In explanation of the alias, W. J. H— — — , he claimed to 
have adopted that name simply because his name was funny. 

It developed that B had been previously arrested and 

released, and had in his possession documents covering his 
entire experiences, as well as information concerning his par- 
ticular case. Certain documents, undoubtedly codes, were 

taken from B , and the only information or explanation 

he would give concerning them was that they were puzzles. 
The subject was well acquainted with the German element in 
each of the towns he had visited, many of whom were held 
under suspicion by the authorities. It further developed that 
he had made frequent visits to the ship-yards and to the Navy 
Yards, and that he was intimately associated with certain 
leaders of the order of the I. W. W. He was ordered interned, 
and sent to Utah. 

It never was urged against Seattle that she displayed 
anything but live wire characteristics, and it is too bad 
that we may not delve deeper into the Seattle files. The 
Chief adds : ''We have many other cases, perhaps of more 
importance." The existing records bear out the assertion. 
But we must dismiss this big center of activity with only 
a brief summary of tables showing six months' work of 
the Minute Men Division of the American Protective 
League for Seattle. The situation revealed by this sum- 
mary, astounding as it is, and humiliating as it must be to 
make the admission, is one that finds a parallel in the 
experience of every great industrial center in America 
during the war. 

TA.BLE OF CASES INVESTIGATED BY THE SEATTLE 
DIVISION OF THE AMERICAN PROTECTIVE LEAGUE 

Report for Six Months, May 1 to 
November 1, 1918. 

Alien Enemies 399 

Aliens and Citizens Living in Luxury Without Visible 

Means of Support 36 

Anti-Military Activities 23 

Bomb and Dynamite Cases 14 

Passport Applications 1,114 

Loyalty Reports to Government 707 



128 THE WEB 

Alleged Deserters 93 

Destruction of Foods 8 

Disloyal Citizens 677 

Disloyal Government Employees 35 ' 

Draft Evaders 86 

Incendiarism 4 

Food Regulation Violators 239 

Liberty Bond and Red Cross Slackers 938 

I. W. W. Agitators 1,198 

Pro-German Radicals 990 

Sale of Liquor to Soldiers and Sailors 64 

Alleged Spies or German Agents 451 

Seditious Meetings 91 

Seditious Publications 53 

Seditious Utterances 449 

Wireless Stations 21 

Naturalization Cases 386 

Jurors 542 

Miscellaneous 624 

Total 10,042 

Total number of arrests made 1,008 

There came up in the Birmingham, Ala., Division the 

character investigation of R. E. S , a lieutenant in 

the Unitedi States Army, reported to be in the Military 
Intelligence Department, foreign service. This man lived 
in Birmingham several years before the declaration of war, 
and moved with the best people. He always seemed to 
have enough money for the demands of society, although 
his business was limited in its earning capacity. He at- 
tended a training camp and received a commission, but 
after he had arrived in France, the War Department re- 
quested an investigation through the League. The result 
shows that danger existed at all times from German explo- 
sives even in the most jealously guarded places. Below is 
given the substance of the investigation. The first oper- 
ative reported: 

I have known S for several years, and have always 

been impressed with his pro-German tendencies. He lived in 
comparative comfort, belonged to all of the clubs and moved 
in the best society. He never appeared to be lacking in funds 
in spite of the fact that the income from his position, and later 



HANDLING BAD ALIENS 129 

his business, did not warrant his living in this manner. It 
was understood that he had no investments producing income. 
I have thought for the past four years that he received money ■ 
from the German Government, and have so expressed myself 
on many occasions. 

Before we entered the war, S was very bitter in his 

denunciation of England for going into it. He claimed Russia 
and France were responsible and that Germany was fighting 
for her life. He stated that England would rue the day she 
went in, and that nothing could stand against the Kaiser and 
his great war machine. He considered the Kaiser the greatest 
man on earth and the German people superior to all others. 
He justified the invasion of Belgium as a war necessity and 
the ravages of that country and of invaded France on the same 
grounds. He gloried in the sinking of the Lusitania, and 
stated that all who lost their lives on it deserved to do so. 
He criticised the general policy of our government and Presi- 
dent Wilson. 

"When we entered the war, S 's whole attitude changed 

and immediately he was anxious to fight for his country. He 
attended the first Oflicer's Training Camp at Ft. McPherson, 
Georgia, but was discharged in a short time. He was bitter 
about this and stated he had not gotten a square deal. 

I have discussed S on many occasions with a great 

many of my friends, and the consensus of opinion is that he 
is entirely too pro-German to be in our Army in any capacity. 
Many think he is an agent of the German Government. Per- 
sonally, I feel that he is an extremely dangerous man. I 
would not care to serve in the Army under him as an officer, 
and I would like to see him placed in such a position that he 
could not possibly do us harm. 

Another operative said he did not think S a safe 

man to have in the United States Army. In his presence, 

S approved the sinking of the Lusitania, and said 

that the people who lost their lives had no business on the 
ship. He also stated that he had two brothers in business 
in Germany before the United States entered the war. 

Operative said that S was strongly pro-German in 

his sympathies. He regarded him as a dangerous man — 
particularly dangerous if he was in the Intelligence Depart- 
ment. Operative stated that he had no confidence what- 
ever in S 's loyalty. He stated that S admired 

Germany and thought the Germans were the greatest 
people on earth. i 



130 THE WEB 

A third operative prefaced his statement with the remark 

that he was a warm personal friend of S and did 

not want to do him an injustice. He did say that S , 

before the entry of the United States into the war, was 
intensely pro-German, On being asked if he would like to 

be a private in a company commanded by S and 

pressed for an answer, he said: ''Well, I would like to 
know my captain hated the Germans a whole lot more than 

S does." He further said that if S were to be 

captured, he would very soon be on friendly terms with his 
captors. 

Follows a statement of an operative who had known 

S for twenty-five or thirty years, and had been on the 

terms of the best friendship for several years past: 

Prior to the entry of the United States into the war, S 

was rabidly pro-German and expressed himself freely on any 
and all occasions. He thought that Germany was all-power- 
ful and had nothing to fear from the Unted States. He fa- 
vored the German U-Boat policy, and said: "I am damn glad 
of it!" when he read the newspaper notice of the sinking of 
the Lusitania. He said furthermore that the people on the 
ship got just what was coming to them, and they had no busi- 
ness being on it. S seemed to be thoroughly imbued 

with the idea that the Germans are supermen, and that they 
could do anything. He regarded the Kaiser as the greatest 
man on earth. He took all the German papers in the country, 
and received German propaganda from some source unknown. 
When he went to the Officer's Training Camp in Atlanta, he 
wrote a card to one of his friends here asking him to forward 
his mail but not to forward any newspapers. He was a con- 
stant reader of papers of German tendencies. He stated in 
conversation that the United States had no Navy, and that the 
safest place for its ships was in our harbors; that there was 
more danger to our sailors from our own ships than from any- 
thing else. He seemed to have a great deal of information con- 
cerning the armament and equipment of the United States as 
regards cannon, small arms and vessels, together with the 

number of men in our Army and Navy. Mr. R did not 

know where he got the information nor what he did with it. 

S knew all the local anarchists and wild-eyed citizens 

of German and Russian nationality. One day S was 

talking on the street with a friend when a rough, unkempt, 
hobo-like man passed them. S asked his friend to ex- 



HANDLING BAD ALIENS 131 

cuse him a moment as he wanted to speak to that man. He 
conversed in German with the man for several moments, and 
on his return said: "He is a Russian anarchist, and he told 
me that a revolution is brewing in Russia and that the Ger- 
mans will not have to fight the Russians much longer." He 
always expressed great pleasure at any news which was favor- 
able to Germany. He did not think the United States had 
any business entering the war. He has relatives In Germany 
now. 

When asked the direct question if he thought it advis- 
able for S to be in the Intelligence Division of the 

Army, operative said: 

I would not want to be in a company which he commands, 
and I believe it highly dangerous for him to be in the Intel- 
ligence Department. I believe if he was captured by the Ger- 
mans, he would have nothing to fear. 

The report of this operative further says : 

S had a twin brother engaged in the tea importing 

business in Ncav York. In July, 1917, the twin brother re- 
ferred to said that he would not fight the Kaiser, that he was 
a German. He was even more rabid than the subject of this 

report. It was rumored here for some time that S was 

a German spy but there was never anything definite to verify 
the rumor, though he was very active in gathering all sorts 
of information regarding the material resources of the United 
States. He cultivated the acquaintance of the amateur wire- 
less operators here, and was a fairly expert telegraph operator 
himself. Mr. R stated: "If S is in the Intelli- 
gence Department in France, it is an extremely dangerous 
thing and might cause a terrible disaster." 

After S went to Washington last fall, and after he 

had received his commission in the United States Army, he 
wrote a letter severely criticising the United States War De- 
partment for inefficiency. His strictures were of such a nature 

that B said to R that he was very sorry that he 

had read it. S and B burned the letter. This let- 
ter criticised the methods of the War Department, stated that 
things were badly bandied, and that our preparations for war 
were inadequate and inefficiently managed. This letter was 

written after S had received his commission as First 

Lieutenant in the United States Army and was stationed in 
Washington. A German friend admitted that S was vio- 



132 THE WEB 

lently pro-German before our country entered the war. He 
said that Germany had a right to sink our ships after giving 
us warning of the restricted zone in which German submarines 
were operating. He justified the sinking of the Lusitania, and 
expressed no sympathy for the people who lost their lives, 
stating that they got what they deserved as they had no busi- 
ness on the ship. He justified the invasion of Belgium as a 
war necessity, and condoned Germany's violation of her pledge 
to preserve the integrity of Belgium because it was a war 

measure. S regarded the Germans as a superior people, 

and admired the Kaiser greatly. He was much opposed to the 
entry of the United States into the war, said that he was so 
sorry that we had gotten into it, and that it was not our affair 
but England's. 

It has been thought advisable to take these widely sepa- 
rated cases andj to give them in detail rather than to pre- 
sent summaries of a large number of cases which may or 
may not have resulted in sentences or internments. An 
examination of these instances will show the fairness and 
shrewdness with which the League's Chiefs and Operatives 
worked, as well as their unflagging interest in the work 
offered them. It also will be apparent that a single inves- 
tigation might involve a great deal of patient, hard work. 



CHAPTER X 

THE GREAT I. W. W. TRIAL 

story of the Greatest Criminal Prosecution Known in tlie 
Jurisprudence of America — The Lawless Acts Leading up 
to the Arrests — Methods of Violence Used by Members of 
the I. W. W. — Sabotage and Terror — Chief Figures of the 
Trial — Incidents from the Inside. 

The greatest trial with which the American Protective 
League was identified was the genuine cause oelebre 
known all over the world as the I. W. W. trial. It began 
in the Federal Court for Chicago, presided over by Judge 
Kenesaw M. Landis (the same of fame in the Standard Oil 
case), on April 1, 1918, andj ended with ninety-seven con- 
victions and sentences in one lot. The case was concluded 
at two in the afternoon of August 30, 1918. 

The trial lasted for five months. The preparation for 
it covered two years or more. The record is said to be 
the most elaborate and complete ever prepared in any case 
at law. The case was by no means a Chicago or Illinois 
case, but was a national and indeed an international one. 
The documentary and other evidence preserved in the 
rooms of the Bureau of Investigation in Chicago is so 
voluminous as to pass belief, and it includes more proof 
of the depravity of the human mind- than any like assem- 
blage of written and printed material known to man. It 
is the record of the attempted ruin of this republic. 

With this great case, the American Protective League 
had been connected practically all the time from the date 
of its own inception. It had men shadowing the suspects, 
men intercepting their mail, men ingratiating themselves 
into their good graces, men watching all their comings and 
goings, men transcribing and indexing the reports, men 
looking into the law in all its phases as bearing on these 
cases. No one knows how many A. P. L. operatives, in all 

133 



134 THE WEB 

the states from Micliigan westward, worked on this case 
for months before an arrest was made. There were fifteen 
lawyers, all of them members of the League, not one of 
whom got a cent of pay, who worked for a full year help- 
ing the Bureau of Investigation to brief the evidence. 
There you see the A. P. L. in action. 

For months and years before the arrests, the Industrial 
Workers of the World, as they call themselves, had been 
notorious for their anarchy and violence. Countless acts 
of ruthlessness had marked their career ; millions and per- 
haps billions in property had been destroyed by them; 
their leader had been tried for the murder of a governor of 
a Western state, thoufrh acquitted. Nothing lacked in their 
record of lawlessness and terror, and they were inspired 
by a Hun-like frightfulness as well as a Hun-like cunning 
which for a time both excited and baffled the agents of the 
law in a dozen Western States. 

The I. W. W. as an organization began, according to 
their Secretary and Treasurer, W. H. Haywood, in 1904, 
in an amalgamation agreed to by officers of the Western 
Federation of Miners and the American Labor Union. 
The theory of the band, reduced to its least common de- 
nominator, was that of striking terror by secret acts of 
violence. Their ethics were precisely those of the barn- 
burner, who works in the dark. What was their reason 
for their acts ? None. They all had had their fair chance 
in America — more than a fair chance. But, because some 
men had wealth, they thought they also should have, and 
if it was not offered them free, then they would show their 
resentment by destroying wealth and injuring those who 
had it. Their plea was the wish to * ' aid the laboring man. ' ' 
God save the mark! They did more to hurt the cause of 
labor than could have been done in any other way in the 
world. They stained the name of this republic so black 
that the most rabid labor unions in Europe protested and 
disowned them. And they got their reward for that; or 
at least some of them have, and more will have before the 
tale is told. 

Sabotage and strikes were the common methods of the 
I. W. W. organization, which at the time of the trial num- 
bered over 100,000 members, mostly scattered in the West 



THE GREAT I. W. W. TRIAL 135 

in many trades. They managed strikes in widely scattered 
parts of the Union, and as they grew bolder, they planned 
in war times a general strike of all branches of labor, all 
over the United States. They first began work among the 
lumber-jacks, then among the miners. They meant to in- 
clude all harvest hands in harvest time, all agricultural 
labor, indeed, labor of every sort. It was the plan to 
demand a six hour day and $6.00 a day, even for all farm 
labor ; which, as all Americans now carrying the war prices 
of living can see, would inevitably have raised the price 
of food unspeakably had it succeeded. "When opposed, 
they wrecked and burned and ruined, maimed, murdered. 

"Big Bill" Haywoo-d, the I. W. W. leader, execrated 
''military preparedness." He called sabotage — that is to 
say, secret industrial wrecking — the ''weapon of the dis- 
interested." Perhaps in peace times our fatuousness as 
a people would have caused us to pay small attention even 
to the series of I. W. W. outrages. We would have ab- 
sorbed the discomforts and the crimes in our old careless, 
cowardly way. But now we were at war. We were mak- 
ing ships and airplanes, cannon and small arms and muni- 
tions and clothing and equipment. We neededj the labor of 
every loyal man as much as we needed money and soldiers. 
And it was about this time that Frank H. Little (an 
I. W. W. leader who was lynched in Butte, Montana, soon 
after) wrote a letter to the general board of the I. W, W., 
demanding that the board should take action against the 
draft law requiring service in the Army. 

This, coupled with the evidence of strikes, and the pros- 
pect of paralysis in many essential government activities, 
was going too far. It was known that the I. W. W. in- 
tendied to get at the marine workers, then all allied indus- 
tries. That would have meant the end of the war, or of 
our activity in the war. 

Now, therefore, these arrogant and lawless men, never 
else than malcontents, became traitors. In order to work 
out to the quotient of ruin these vague theories about the 
' * rights of man, ' ' they cast aside what shred of patriotism 
they ever may have had to cover their nakedness of man- 
hood, and declared themselves ready to cripple and leave 
helpless before her merciless foe this republic of America, 



136 THE WEB 

whose whole theory from the foundation has been that of 
the rights of man, who fought in all her vv^ars for the rights 
of man and has asked only in this peace the recognition 
of the rights of man. Ah, they were so wise, these ruffians ! 

But now they ran against our espionage law and its new 
teeth. Secretly watched for months by the many agents 
of the Government andi its auxiliaries, the I. W. W. was 
at last found with sufficient goods on it to warrant the 
movement of the law's forces. The charges were made 
that I. W. W. members had violated the espionage act; 
that they had fostered strikes to delay the output in war 
munitions ; that they had spoiled industrial material ; that 
they had l3een guilty of acts of violence against men not 
of their views ; that they had violated the postal laws ; that 
they had violated the statutes against conspiracy. The 
indictments were framed on those general lines, and the 
long arm of Uncle Sam, not that of any state or county or 
city, reached out for the accused. 

By this time the agitations of the I. W. W. had covered 
Montana, Arizona and Colorado, Avere reaching into Utah 
and Nevada, and had Minnesota and Michigan next on the 
list. But pari passu with the I. W. W. activities had gone 
on those of certain other alphabetical organizations, to wit, 
D. J. and A. P. L. 

Mr. Clabaugh, the storm center of the Chicago Bureau 
of Investigation, worked long months with the Government 
attorneys. Mr. Frank Nebeker, the trial lawyer, was an 
assistant U. S. Attorney General of Salt Lake City, and 
he was on this case for over a year. It was he who directed 
the raids. He was assisted by Mr. Claude Porter, of Des 
Moines, Iowa, U. S. Attorney for the Southern District of 
Iowa — now Assistant to the U. S. Attorney General in 
Washington. Mr. Porter came on as Special Assistant in 
place of Mr. Frank C. Dailey of Indianapolis, who had 
resigned. These men and their aids brought together, as 
has been said, the most elaborate legal records ever known. 
TJiat they Jiad tJie evidence is proved by the results of the 
trial — ^ninety-seven convictions out of the ninety-nine ac- 
cused and tried. The A. P. L. got tlie evidence. 

These men and Mr. Clabaugh were all in conference with 
U. S. Attorneys all over the country from Detroit west, 



THE GREAT I. W. W. TRIAL 137 

and in conference with the governors of many states as 
well. Everything was kept secret. Then, one day, a wire 
flashed across the country which set the law afoot. At the 
same moment, two o'clock. Central time, on the afternoon 
of September 5, 1917, one hiin-dred I. W. W. offices were 
raidedu The Web had done its work! One hundred and 
sixty-five frightened insects struggled where but now a like 
number of arrogant and boastful traitors had strutted free. 
At one time Mr. Clabaugh took down to the Department 
of Justice in Washington a large trunk full of papers — 
incriminating documents once property of the I. W. W. 
It wouLd take such reading of these unspeakable documents 
by all the American public as these officers of the law gave 
them, before America ever could know what foul sort of 
traitors she has been welcoming here at her own table. 

Some of these arrested suspects were bailed out, others 
held in prison. Of the total arrested, ninety-nine were 
brought to trial. The case began before that staunch fight- 
ing man, Judge Landis — who had a son in the U. S. avia- 
tion corps himself — on Monday^ April 1, 1918, and a month 
was spent in selecting a jury. In all this work, the A. P. L. 
was active, and more than once its men choked off alleged 
illegal enterprises — for the defendants were desperate now. 
The opening statement was made by Mr. Nebeker on May 
2, andi examination of witnesses followed for six weeks, 
when the Government rested till Wednesday, June 19. Mr. 
George Vandever, for the defense, made the opening state- 
ment on Monday, June 24. Judge Landis charged the jury 
Saturday, August 17. The jury brought in its verdict in 
fifty-five minutes and on one ballot. The statements of 
the prisoners were taken on Thursday, August 29, and 
sentence was passed by Judge Landis at 2 :00 P. M., Augtist 
30, 1918. 

The jury had needed but little time for deliberation. 
The judge in reading his instructions, dismissed the fifth 
count of the indictment, charging a conspiracy to violate 
the postal laws of the United States. After telling the 
jury that it had exclusive domain over the determination 
of the facts of the case, while it must take the law from 
the Court, Judge Landis said it was within the province 
of the court to give his opinion regarding the evidence. 



138 THE WEB 

"But in this ease I shall not do so," said the court. **I 
shall submit it to you free from expression of my own 
judgment. Your decision shall be the last and only one 
on the question of fact. ' ' 

He then explained the law of conspiracy at considerable 
length, after presenting a brief digest of the substance of 
the indictment. He announced that it was unnecessary to 
prove explicit agreement to enter a conspiracy against the 
defendants if there was circumstantial evidence that such 
a conspiracy existed, judged by the facts and the actions 
of the defendants. 

''Mere passive knowledge of the criminal activities of 
other persons is not sufficient to establish a conspiracy," 
he instructed. "Some participation, cooperation, must he 
shown to establish the connection of any defendant, and 
by evidence of fact and circumstances independent of the 
declarations of other people, — that is, by evidence of the 
defendants' own acts. Until such evidence is introduced, 
the defendants are not bound by the declaration or state- 
ments of others. But after it is shown he is a member of 
the conspiracy, he is so bound, providing the acts are in 
furtherance of the common purpose." 

The court also instructed that if any defendants entered 
the conspiracy after it started, knowing its purpose, they 
were equally guilty as if they had been of those who 
originally conspired, but he tempered this by suggesting 
that they might all have been guilty of minor conspiracies 
in different places, and he stated that if these were not 
related to a common purpose, they were not guilty under 
the indictment. He also announced that they might all be 
guilty of the acts of violence set forth in the indictment, 
and yet, if these were not related to a common conspiracy, 
they were not guilty in the charge in the case. 

Both sides professed satisfaction with the instructions. 
The sentences of the Court sent Haywood and fourteen 
others, his principal aids, to the penitentiary for twenty 
years. Thirty-three men got ten years, the same number 
got jfive years ; twelve men got a year and a day, two men 
got off with two days in jail, and two had their cases 
continued. There was well nigh a train load of them that 
started for Leavenworth federal penitentiary the next day. 



THE GREAT I. W. W. TRIAL 139 

The Department of Justice could not find handcuffs enough 
in the city of Chicago to accommodate all the prisoners 
on that train! 

The total time covered by these I. W. W. sentences 
amounts to eight hundred and seven years and twenty 
days. The world is deprived of that much-too-independent 
work in a time when the world needs honest labor, Hay- 
wood's boast that there are 100,000 uncaught and unrepent- 
ant I. W. W.'s in the United States alone is all the proof 
needed of the nature of the men thus put away. 

These men, like most under-cover criminals, were cow- 
ards. Haywood's face went white when he heard sentence 
passed on him. The prisoners, but lately sneering and 
arrogant, now sat overwhelmed. Their friends and adhe- 
rents also were stunned. The court room was filled with 
armed U. S. Marshals and A. P. L. men, all unknown and 
all ready for trouble. There was no trouble. Dead silence 
was in the room. All bail was cancelled, of course, and 
the march to jail began. 

What did the Government prove against the I. W. W. 's ? 
That they had been guilty of almost everything a depraved 
mind could invent in the way of crime. The public is 
already conversant with the argot of the band. The "sab 
cat," or worker of sabotage — secret destruction of prop- 
erty — was a title of pride among them. "Wobblies," 
"high jacks," " scissor-bills, " "bundle-stiffs" — all were 
part of the personnel put in evidence. A "clock" was 
divulged to mean a phosphorus bomb, intended to be fired 
by the sun and set a wheat stack ablaze. 

These men spiked a great many spruce trees so that mill 
saws were ruined on the logs. They killed vineyards in 
California, and claimed to have burned $2,000,000 worth 
of wheat in that state alone. They not only burned wheat 
in the stack, but sowed spikes to damage reapers. They 
dropped matches and bits of metal in threshing machines. 
They put emery in delicate machine bearings. In canning 
factories they mixed the labels, so that grades were vitiated 
for the vegetables sent out. They polluted or poisoned 
canned goods with dead rats and the like in factories where 
they worked. No doubt also they set forest fires, and 
beyond doubt caused explosions that destroyed hundreds 



140 THE WEB 

of thousands of dollars in property. They did this to 
terrorize their own country in its day of peril. They were 
not worth the name of men. You can not make citizens 
out of such creatures. Fear is all they understand. 

Their literature was a continuous blasphemy. Cursing 
the name of the Savior was nothing to their writers. They 
put lime in men's shoes and burned their feet to the bone. 
They had a special sort of club they used in attacking 
"scabs." It had short, sharp nails driven along it, painted 
the color of the club so they could not easily be seen. The 
victim would catch at the club to wrest it from his assail- 
ant. It was then jerked through his hands, often tearing 
out the sinews, always scarring and often maiming him 
forever. Always they were cowards. To injure and not 
destroy was part of their religion. ''Strike while you 
work" meant to disable a machine for a while and so to 
stop work for the crew or for the whole plant. ''Feed the 
kitty more cream" meant to use more emery on bearings, 
to do more dirt in factories, to wreck and mar and mutilate 
more cunningly and covertly — and to escape by feigning 
the innocent laboring man. If they were not all Huns, 
they had the foul Hun imagination, and also the methods 
of the Hun. 

By December of 1918, the trial of a half hundred more 
alleged I. W. W. men was progressing at Sacramento, 
California. The attempt of the prosecution there was to 
show a nation-wide plot against the Government of the 
United) States. And again, A. P. L. had the evidence ready, 
ticketed and tabulated, for A. P. L. covers all of the 
United States and not merely one part. On January 16, 
1919, forty-six of the defendants were convicted. 

If we have 100,000 I. W. W. members such as these yet 
among us, and internment camps full of Germans and pro- 
Germans, would there not seem need for a house cleaning? 
It is time now for a new American point of view. We are 
not going to allow America to be used as it has been by 
these men. Fear at least they shall understand. 



CHAPTER XI 

THE SLACKER EAIDS 

How the A. P. L. Made Patriots — Chasing the Slacker — 
Teaching the Love of the Flag — Incidents of Western 
Raids. 

Even had Mr. Bryan's famous prophecy come true, that 
a million armed men would spring up over night and so 
end at once any trouble America might presumably expe- 
rience in going to war, there still would have existed a 
vast deficit in our Army, which at the time of the Armistice 
had more than two million men armed and on the soil of 
France, almost as many in training, andj ten times as many 
listed as army material if needed — although, to be sure, 
they had not sprung up either armed or equipped, as per- 
haps France or Great Britain could testify. The new draft 
ages of 18 to 45 swept in a vast additional army under the 
latest conscription act, although the first registration, those 
of 21 to 31, had set on foot our first American forces — as 
fine soldiers as ever stood on leather. 

A great many phrases are made in time of war about 
war itself, and most of these come around to the ancient 
■recruiting sergeant's inviting motto recounting the glory 
of dying for one's country. The Napoleonic wars were 
fought on the death-or-glory basis; but Napoleon got his 
troops by rigid conscription. "We fought this war on a 
more sober basis of necessity. Most of us who are old 
enough and wise enough to study human nature and world 
politics knew that commercial jealousy, and not any ab- 
stract theories about democracy and the rights of man, lay 
basically under this war, as they have lain under most 
other wars. And the boys of the Avorld — youth being 
resilient, of high pulse and low blood pressure, and believ- 
ing, as youth always does, that nothing wrong can happen 
to youth and hope — were called on once more to fight the 

141 



14^ THE WEB 

wars of the world, as the boys always have been asked 
to do. 

Youth and middle age volunteered, old age itself volun- 
teered, but the truth became obvious that our volunteer 
army would not spring armed over night in sufficient num- 
bers. In fairness, we passed our draft acts, euphonically 
termed ''Selective Service Acts," it being intended that 
this action should bring America to its focus, and should 
put under arms warm and lukewarm lovers of our flag alike. 
As it seems to this writer, that originally was unfair only 
in that it made the maxii^um service age too low. It cast 
the burden of the war on the boys, the young men, most 
of whom had never felt hate against any country, and 
knew little about the causes of this war ; for soldiers often 
do not really know why they fight. 

Under the weak American pacifist propaganda, there lay 
much human nature and very much more of shrewd Ger- 
man propaganda. Germany always has had this country 
sown with spies and secret agents, as we have shown, and 
always has counted very largely on the German- American 
loyalty to the flag of Germany. That very able spy, Prince 
Henry of Prussia, brother to that now very contemptible 
but once very arrogant coward, William HohenzoUern, 
carried back to his royal brother the most confident reports 
regarding potential German forces in America. He was 
especially well received in Milwaukee and Chicago, where 
he was met and welcomed by officials not unmindful of 
the value of the German vote. 

"We find all these influences enlisted to aid and abet any 
natural reluctance of boys to go to war, boys of the noblest 
and bravest souls, who none the less had mothers to weep 
over them, sisters and sweethearts to hold them back. So 
there became apparent, in more cities than one, the truth 
that a great many young men had not registered, had not 
filled out questionnaires, were deserting, or were in some 
way evading the draft. 

Very naturally, an intense feeling grew up against these 
draft-dodgers and slackers, a feeling based on the fair-play 
principle. If one man's son must go, why not the next 
man's, especially as that next man might be a secret pro- 
German trying to protect his blood as well as his property? 



THE SLACKER RAIDS 143 

But the blood had really nothing to do with the real ques- 
tion betv/een the government and the man needed with the 
colors. The law was the law, and it played no favorites 
after the exemption boards were done. The -fit man of 
proper age must show himself. 

Orders went out, in the summer of 1918, from the De- 
partment of Justice to throw the net for slackers. That 
meant the immediate mobilization for police duty not only 
of many soldiers and sailors, many policemen and all the 
force of the Bureau of Investigation, but also of the entire 
personnel of the American Protective League. "With the 
exception of the I, W. W. cases, the aid the Chicago divi- 
sion of the League gave in the great raids of July 11, 12, 
13 and 14, in 1918, was its most important single contribu- 
tion to the welfare of the country. The New York slacker 
raids (of a certain publicity), those carried on also in 
Phila-delphia, San Francisco, and many other cities, were 
all so similar in method, that the story of the Chicago 
raids will describe them all. 

The big slacker drive in Chicago meant the mobilization 
of the entire League membership, and over 10,000 men 
were enlisted from this organization alone as operatives in 
the slacker search. These men interrogated over 150,000 
suspects, and seized over 20,000 ; and they inducted into the 
army, as > willing or unwilling patriots, around 1,400 young 
men of that one city who otherwise would not have served. 
At one time they had herded on the great Municipal Pier 
over 1,100 men, all of whom had to pass the night there. 
Countless motor cars and wagons carried loads under 
guard. A big tourist motor-bus was requisitioned also, and 
all the street cars were packed. Hundreds of men were 
crowded over night in the rooms of the Bureau of Investi- 
gation in the Federal Building. The courts and jails were 
jammed. Vacant store-rooms were filled with prisoners. 
Mothers, wives, sweethearts, sisters, brothers and babies 
made the Federal Building an actual bedlam when they 
rallied to the attempted rescue. But the grist ground on 
through, and the guilty were found and dealt with. Most 
of the young men were glad enough to exchange a bed on 
a stone floor for one in an Army tent. No doubt, most of 
them made good soldiers afterwards. They were rather 



144 THE WEB 

passively than actively disloyal — and all of them were 
young. 

No announcement was made of the plans of the Govern- 
ment. The word was passed silently that at a certain hour 
the hunt would be on. Once begun, it was prosecuted with 
energy and system. All the current ball games were vis- 
ited, and the crowds were told to file out at a gate, where 
each suspect was asked to show his registration card. Mo- 
tion picture shows were treated in the same way, the per- 
fect districting and subdividing of the League's force 
making all this synchronous and smooth. Cabarets and 
all-night places of all sorts were combed out. All the city 
parks were patrolled at night, and many a young man was 
taken from his young woman companion in that way. 
Members of the League even donned bathing costumes, 
and swimming out among the bathers at the beaches, plied 
their questions there! They took in over one hundred 
slackers out of the wet in that way. 

At a thronged boulevard crossing in the loop district, 
every motor car was stopped. A. P. L. operatives met 
every incoming railway train and were at the gate of 
every train leaving the city. Countless homes and shops 
were visited. Sunday picnics in the suburbs were in- 
spected, every theater and public building, every " L " road 
station and steamboat landing was investigated and 
guarded by men who made but one remark : ' ' Show me ! ' ' 
On one night of the four, 7,000 men in a short time were 
gathered, held and taken to the police stations. Factories, 
stores, saloons, the open streets, all yielded up their toll — 
many innocent, many loyal, many negligent, many culpable 
and many disloyal evaders who were trying to dodge the 
draft. 

In a vast wave, the vigilantes of Chicago, whose exist- 
ence was suspected by almost none of these, swept out 
into the open. The guilty and the lukewarm alike, the 
innocent and ignorant conscript and the veiled enemy 
alikp, got the largest and swiftest lesson in Americanism 
this country ever had had up to that hour. It showed a 
certain element that under the careless American character 
there are vast capacities for self-government and a stern 
respect for law and government. Many a pro-German has 



THE SLACKER RAIDS 145 

known in his soul since last July that about the most 
uncompromising autocrat he ever met was a simple man 
bearing not a scepter but a little badge. 

In general, the raids met with no resistance, and though 
there was confusion there was no disorder. The people 
took it well, as might have been expected. Loyal Ameri- 
cans would not object, disloyal ones dared not. The gen- 
eral working out of the widely-scattered raids was admir- 
able. As to the rapidity and thoroughness of the League 's 
work, it never has done better anywhere, because by this 
time it had grown into a well-drilled and perfectly-organ- 
ized) body of constabulary. As covering the public attitude 
of this city towards the raids — similar raids were met with 
worse receptions in other cities — a great daily, the Chicago 
Tribune, printed the following editorial comment: 

The object of the roundup of draft registrants was, of 
course, to find those who are evading the law and bring them 
into the service. But the results of the drive go considerably 
beyond that. It has proved the splendid spirit of the commu- 
nity. 

Americans do not like to be interfered with by officials. 
They are not accustomed to it, and they resent it in normal 
times, even when it is quite justifiable. But though it has 
been by no means convenient to be stopped on the way to 
work, interrogated, sent back home for credentials, or taken 
in custody pending investigation, there has been in this round- 
up a genera,l good-natured acceptance of the process, and in 
the vast majority of cases, a cordial co-operation with the 
authorities. 

A part of the credit for this undoubtedly belongs to the tact 
and good sense shown by the draft authorities and the volun- 
teers of the American Protective League, who deserve con- 
gratulation upon the skill with which they have accomplished 
a by no means easy task with a minimum of friction and a 
maximum of thoroughness. But if the authorities showed 
good spirit, the public met them half way, and the total ex- 
perience proves the excellent morale now existing. What- 
ever is necessary to get on with the war is accepted without 
complaint. Virtually everybody wants to help. Furthermore, 
the number of slackers found in proportion to the number of 
men questioned is gratifyingly small. 

The young manhood is sound. As it is called on for service 
small or great, it will respond promptly and spiritedly. 



146 ( THE WEB 

There are two distinct points of view as to the slacker 
raids, so called, and criticisms as well as praise have come 
to the A. P. L. for its part in them all over the country. 
Naturally, no miracle was wrought in human nature. The 
families of the men who were hid or shielded were no njore 
loyal after their men were taken than they had been 
before. The conscientious objector experienced no stiffen- 
ing of fiber in his flabby soul. But even these would have 
felt otherwise towards the slacker drives had they known 
all the truth. Ask the men themselves who were inducted 
into the army what they think about it now. Nine-tenths 
of them will say that they are ashamed that they had to 
be asked twice to go into the army. The ,other one-tenth 
is the better for having gone, whether or not they will 
confess so much. As a saving influence, a mere reclama- 
tion enterprise, the slacker raids were a vast agency for 
the public good. They were not man-hunters, but man- 
savers, these men who conducted the raids. 

Just one instance of this truth must serve for all the 
many communities who engaged in this work and who 
caught, in all, perhaps, a half million men for examination, 
and held a tenth of all they caught. It is only a little 
anecdote, but it makes the best answer possible to all the 
critics of the Selective Service Act. 

A gentleman came into the National Headquarters with 
certain papers in the way of reports, and announced that 
he was the Chief of the Akron, Ohio, Division. He offered 
the usual apologies — by this time more or less familiar at 
the book desk — that he had been able to do so little when 
he had wanted to -do so much in the work of the A. P. L. 
**But there is one thing that I wish you would put in this 
book," he said, "to show people what this League has 
done in the remaking of men. I don't care whether you 
say another thing for Akron, but I want to tell this story of a 
man we saved. 

"A young woman came to my office and complained of 
her husband. *I am almost desperate about Joe,' she said 
to me. 'He drinks and drinks, and hangs around the 
saloons. He hasn't given me a cent in eight months, and 
I don't know what to do. I — I love him. I don't want 
him to go. But do you think the army would do him any 



THE SLACKER RAIDS 147 

good. He doesn't do anything for me and our baby.' 

" 'The army will see,' I said to her. So I went and 
found her husband — in a saloon, drunk, shabby, dead to 
all pride and all ambition, about as poor-looking material 
for a soldier as you ever saw. 'That's Joe,' said his wife, 
when I brought them together in my office. 

"Well, I sent Joe to jail to think things over. When he 
was in his cell, his wife took him in a tray full of good, 
things to eat, some hot coffee, and all that sort of thing. 
I went with her. 'You see,' I said to him, 'how much your 
wife is doing now for your support — more than you have 
done for her in a year. What do you think about it now?' 

"Well, he was inside the draft age, and we sent him 
into the Army. We saw to it that his wife got her share 
of his pay — the first support he had given her in many 
months, 

"I forgot about this case, so many others came in. The 
days went by until not so long ago. After the armistice 
was signed and just before I came -down here, some one 
knocked at my door. There came in a smiling young 
woman, neatly dressed, a neatly dressed baby in her arms. 
And with her was a tall, grinning, brown-faced, hard- 
bitten, well-set-up young man, in the uniform of the United 
States Army. He had a sergeant's chevrons on his sleeve. 
I did not know any of these people. 

" 'That's Joe,' said the young woman. Then I remem- 
bered it all. It made me feel rather funny — I couldn't 
really quite believe it. 

" 'He dioes not drink,' said the wife. 'I am so glad he 
went into the Army.' 

"Well, maybe you think I'minot glad of my share in 
remaking a man like that. It paid me for all my work 
and worry in the League. I believe that our Division 
would have made good if it had not done anything more 
than just what it did for Joe." 

One does not know of any better summary of the slacker 
raids than that conveyed by this simple little story from 
one chief out of very many hundreds. 



CHAPTER XII 

SKULKER CHASING 

Hunting Bad Men — Deserter-Catching in the Southern 
Mountains — Tricks of the Slacker's Trade — Running 
Down Unwilling Patriots — Some A. P. L. Adventures — 
Death of a Deserter — How a Southern Ranger Brings 
Them In. 

One of the earliest recollections of the writer's boyhood 
is that of seeing his father busily engaged in molding bul- 
lets for his rifle on a certain Sunday morning — at that tim,e 
the old muzzle-loading rifle was still in use. The old gen- 
tleman was with the Army Recruiting Service in the Civil 
War, in a branch which at times was obliged to look after 
men who were evading the draft or unduly prolonging 
their furloughs, or who belonged to that detested group 
of conscientious objectors and obstructionists who at that 
time bore the. local name of ''Copperheads." Some of 
these men had ambushed and killed two of the Army men 
sent out to bring them in, and as others of the force then 
took up the matter, it was deemed wise to be alert and 
well armed. The murderers were duly apprehended and 
dealt with. 

At that time we had a United States Secret Service 
whose annals make interesting reading to-day^as, for in- 
stance, the burial by Secret Service men of the body of 
John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Lincoln. 
That filial resting place to this day is known to very few 
men. There was, however, in Civil War times no Military 
Intelligence Division, no censorship of the mails or cables, 
no real system of espionage, and certainly no A. P. L. We 
had less need then than now for such extensions of the 
arm of Justice, because then each army was fighting an 
honorable foe — though both were mistaken foes — and be- 
because our country then was not populated so largely with 

148 



SKULKER CHASING 149 

unassimilated and treacherous foreigners. There was some 
spy work in that time on both sides, as in any war ; but for 
the most part, clean, straightaway fighting was the main 
concern of both sides; and) that war was so fought that 
such a thing as honor did exist and could survive for both 
combatants. 

The Civil War had as one of its worst results the fact 
that the rich new West and Northwest, then opening up 
with the early railroads, came to be largely settled soon 
after the war by a heavy foreign population, instead of by 
young Americans who must otherwise have marched out 
at the head of the rails, and not at the head of armies 
from which so many of them never returned. Had there 
been no Civil War, there would have been less of loose 
immigration. Without that war, there would be no Non- 
partisan League in the Northwest, no German Alliance in 
the Middle West, no Bolshevism in the cities of the East. 
Nevertheless, even in that day of honorable warfare, when 
men met foemen worthy of their steel and not cowardly 
assassins, there existed men who had the craven heart. 
There were deserters then as there always are in war, — 
and sometimes they were sought out by men who molded 
bullets of a Sunday morning, and who, having started out 
after their men, did not come back until they had found 
them. 

To-day also we have deserters and) slackers — ^let us say, 
perhaps, with better color of excuse than in the old days, 
because in some of the more remote districts of the United 
States, far from the confusion of the crowded city life, in 
sections where the world runs smoothly and quietly and 
men are content, there existed no definite and concrete 
local reasons for a man to go to war with a foe across the 
sea of whom he knew little or nothing. Secure in the only 
American part of America, sometimes the Southern moun- 
taineers, for instance, resented the draft because they did 
not understandj it. The bravest of the brave, ready to 
fight at the drop of the hat, and natural soldiers, there 
were among them many whose fathers joined the Federal 
Army in the Civil War. They volunteered for that — ^but 
they would not be drafted for this foreign war. They 
made a brand of conscientious objectors — rather, say, 



150 THE WEB 

ignorant objectors — who were dangerous to go up against 
in the laurel thickets or the far-back mountain coves. 
Very often, these men, when they learned how the flag of 
this country had been insulted, how our women and chil- 
dren had been mui>dered on the sea, were eager to join the 
colors, and never again were they deserters or slackers — 
only fighting men. 

To this form of military evader among the simple out- 
lying people of the southern hills, there must be added a 
great many deserters of foreign descent all over the coun- 
try, caught in the Selective Service Act. Some of these 
had imbibed no real loyalty to America in their home asso- 
ciations; much too often their environments were those of 
other countries and not this. They heard another speech 
than ours used as a '' mother tongue "; daily saw customs 
of the old world maintained, and) not those of the new 
world taken on. They had small heart for the war because 
their loyalty to this country still was crude and unformu- 
lated. Many of the foreign-born troops who fought so well 
in France first joined our colors, not because they wished 
to, but because they had to, the law leaving no option. 
After that, they learned the fierce love of a real soldier 
for the real flag of a real country. Perhaps their wounds 
and their deaths may teach their surviving relatives in 
America not to remain foreigners, but to become Ameri- 
cans — and not foreigners masquerading as Americans. 
Some of our best soldiers hadi fathers who had taken the 
German oath never to renounce fealty to that famous 
"War Lord," chief est ' coward of them all, who had not 
courage to die at the head of his army. 

There was also in this war, as in all other wars, a certain 
percentage of the sullen and rebellious, of the weak and 
cowardly, men of no mark and no convictions in any cause, 
men who never rise above themselves and their selfish 
concerns in any situation. Beyond these, again, was a 
small class whose natural home longings or home bewail- 
ings or home pleadings led them to desert. Because of 
many reasons, then, a certain pSrcentage of deserters 
marked this war as every war. 

In the eyes of the law this was every man's war, and 
all must get under an-d back of it with no exceptions. A 



SKULKER CHASING 151 

deserter was a deserter. Some were dangerous men, and 
some no more than yellow slackers. We could not in these 
pages give a great many instances of either type. One 
A. P. L. report, however, that comes from Birmingham, 
Alabama, is peculiar in that it gives details regarding sev- 
eral investigations and arrests of deserters. 

One of the most remarkable cases handled by the Bir- 
mingham Division was that of Dan D of Tuscaloosa 

County, who deserted from the regular army of the United 
States on November 27, 1917, and was not captured until 
September 1, 1918. Information having been received by 
the Chief on the 23rd of August, 1918, that Dan was hiding 
near Eeno Mines, he immediately ordered a number of his 

men under Special Agent M to go after the deserter. 

The trip was taken in automobiles on the afternoon of 
August 23, and through very heavy mist. Arriving at 
Eeno Mines, some information was given the party as to 
the location of the man's home, which proved to be a four- 
room boxed house in front of which and about sixty feet 
away was a small franfie barn about twenty by thirty feet, 
built of rough plank, with four horse stalls in the main 
building and some cow stalls in the lean-to shed. 

A careful search of house and barn failed to show any 
signs of the missing man, his parents and sister denying 
any knowledge of his whereabouts. The mother said, ' ' The 
last I hear'n of Dan was a letter from Long Island two 
months or more ago," and she remarked, ''Of course, 
you 'uns know he was home on a furlough last November. ' ' 
A request to produce the letter was met with the reply, 
"The chillun tore it up." 

The search of the barn was again renewed by the men, 
and the loft was searched with the aid of a ladder from the 
outside. It was found to be fiUedt with fodder, hay and 
grass, and prodding with poles and forks convinced the 
parties that there was no chance for any one to be hiding 
under same. 

Very much mystified, and yet satisfied by the demeanor 
and sullen manner of the father, mother and sister that 
Dan was somewhere close, the Special Agent divided his 
men, leaving part of them to watch, while the others 
sought for outside information. 



152 THE WEB 

Mr. W , a Deputy Sheriff of Tuscaloosa County, 

had) been trying to locate Dan for ten months, and had 
watched continuously as much as ten days at one time, 
both house and barn. A number of searches prior to the 
arrival of the A, P. L. squad, made in and around the 
mines of the different operating companies, had given no 
clue. One thing was certain, however: nearly everybody 
in the district was related to him, due to the intermarriage 
during several generations of the people, and, as usual, 
there were some of his own kin-folks who would ''shore 
like to see him pulled." 

At last, the patience of the party being exhausted, and 
feeling sure that Dan was somewhere, either about the 

house or barn, the father, William D , and the 

mother, and a sister, who had denied any relationship to 
Dan, were told positively either to surrender him or go to 
jail. They asked for time, and it was refused. They 
pleaded for the officers to come again to-morrow. This 
also was refused. After pleading again to give them till 
afternoon, they finally asked one of the League operators 
to a conference behind the house with the mother and 
father. They then renewed their pleadings for time, but 
finally agreed to show the hiding place of their son and 
deliver him to the party, as they now realized that the 
"U. S. was a blame sight stronger than kin-folks who were 
liable to split on you at any minute." 

The father was then accompanied to the barn. He 
knocked on the wall of the barn and said, ''Come down, 
son!" Almost immediately a wide plank in the floor of 
the barn loft, almost over the heads of the astonished men, 
mysteriously arose from its resting place, revealing the 
most unique and simple hiding place imaginable. It was 
nothing more or less than a box, about as large as a 
good sized coffin, in which there were bed clothes, food 
and water. The box was cut to fit the joists, hiding all 
joints, and being apparent from below as a part of the 
loft floor. It was covered with fodder and hay above, the 
occupant using one loose plank of the box as his trap 
door. "When occupied, it would naturally be as tight as 
any other part of the floor. Later, the party saw a hole 
dug out under the cow stall which he had occupied until 



SKULKER CHASING 153 

his more palatial quarters in the coffin box had been pro- 
vided. 

The District was noted in years gone by as the "favorite 
stamping ground of Jim Morrison and kindred outlawed 
spirits. ' ' Most of the inhabitants of the surrounding coun- 
try are employed in the mining of brown iron ore, which 
is taken out of large open cuts and washed by machinery 
and shipped to the furnaces of the Birmingham district. 
Nearly all of the labor, black and white, are the descend- 
ants of small farmers of Tuscaloosa County and the south- 
ern part of Jefferson County. Many of them still carry 
on farming in a small way, and the region has long been 
famous for its smooth and creamy "moonshine," which in 
some mysterious way still continues to be made. It was 
for many years a favorite pastime of old Judge Shackel- 
ford, who lived and died in sight of the D home, to 

mix his corn juice in an old sugar bowl while dispensing 
justice in the good old way. Shortly after the events nar- 
rated here, the sheriff of the county was murdered in cold 
blood on the village street by one of the outlaws of the 
section. 

Two other interesting cases handled by the Birmingham 

Division concerned two brothers, S and R . 

S deserted from Camp Pike, Arkansas, October 5, 

1917, and R from Camp Mills, N. Y., September 25, 

1917. The peculiar part of the case was that while S 

was listed as a deserter, the War Department had no rec- 
ord of R deserting, though they were advised that 

he was in this section of the country and efforts were made 
to check the records. While their desertions took place 
the latter part of 1917, it was not until August, 1918, that 
Operative No. 202 of the Birmingham Division received 
confidential information that both men were in Shelby 
County, Alabama, making moonshine whiskey, which they 
were selling to the miners and also to citizens in Bessemer, 
Alabama, a town thirteen miles southwest of Birmingham. 

A party was organized to go after them, but unfortun- 
ately missed them by four days, the brothers and their 
family having moved elsewhere. Operative continued giv- 
ing the case active attention, and finally information was 
secured that the brothers were in Coosa County, Alabama. 



154 THE WEB 

Arrangements for automobiles having been made over long 
distance, a party of A. P. L. men, six in number, headed 
by Agent Crawford of the Department of Justice, left 
Birmingham at 3 :50 P. M. Thursday, November 7 (the day 
made famous' by the premature Armistice celebration), 
arriving at Goodwater about 6 :00 P. M. 

After supper they were met by two 100 per cent Ameri- 
can volunteers with automobiles, and were driven about 
five miles beyond Goodwater. The latter informed them 
of the danger of arousing these parties by going over the 
regular road, on account of dogs barking, so they left the 
machines about two miles away from the cabin they were 
seeking and detoured over a large hill, in the dark and 
cold, to get to the cabin. The report says : 

The humorous part of it was that, in spite of our precau- 
tions, the " hound dawgs " treed us about a mile from the 
place and certainly let forth unearthly baying. By the time 
we reached and surrounded the cabin, the entire household 
was aroused. Again we seemed doomed to disappointment, 
for we were informed that the parties we sought had left there 
just four days before — the same length of time by which we 
missed them in Shelby County. 

After exploring the country in the immediate vicinity we 
finally secured a tip that the brothers were near another town 
about forty miles away, so we regained the machines and re- 
turned to Goodwater, arriving there about 10:30 p. m. Feeling 
that perhaps some word might reach the parties that we were 
after them, if we postponed the trip, our drivers, after much 
discussion finally agreed to drive us to Kellyton, Alabama, 
about ten miles from Goodwater, to a man who ran a jitney 
line. It was the coldest night of the year, with only the stars 
as light. Finally we reached Kellyton, shortly after midnight, 
and while two of us were arousing the jitney man the others 
collected leaves and firewood and in a few minutes had a roar- 
ing fire by the roadside to warm our frozen extremities. 

Until we acquainted the jitney man with the urgency of the 
matter, he demurred about getting out in the cold, saying he 
had only two Ford cars and would have to depend on a thir- 
teen-year-old son to drive the second car of the two. He was 
persuaded to take us over the thirty miles of rough country 
roads, with our drivers rather uncertain of the correct route. 

We reached Wadley, Alabama, about five o'clock in the morn- 
ing. Some coffee filled a long-felt want and in a few minutes 



SKULKER CHASING 155 

we were ready again. Further investigation, at Abanda, de- 
veloped the fact that the two suspects were with their family, 
who had just moved in a country house about a mile distant 
from the town. This house was in a hollow, off the road, well 
shielded from view, and the surroundings made it an ideal 
place for those seeking seclusion. Bearing in mind the fact 
that in the rural districts most every one is suspicious of 
strangers, we duly surrounded the house about 6 : 30 A. M. At 
a signal the house was rushed and the men were in the center 
passage of the house before the occupants were aware of their 
presence. Hearing the noise, the mother opened the door to 
one of the rooms and looked out. Seeing these strange men, 
she tried to close the door, but was prevented from doing so 
by one of the men who stuck his foot in the opening. On 
being questioned the mother denied that the boys were there. 

The house was the usual country cabin, with rooms on each 
side and a hall down the middle, so while the two members 
were forcing the door where the mother was. Agent Crawford 
broke in the door across the hall and discovered the two 
brothers on pallets on the floor. They were promptly covered 
before they had a chance to use their pump guns, though 
search revealed three of the guns fully loaded and placed for 
convenient use. Also, an extra box of cartridges was found 
with the top off. Had it not been for the quickness with which 
we worked, trouble would doubtless have ensued, as the repu- 
tation of these men was that they shot first and asked ques- 
tions afterward. One member of the family had the reputation 
of killing at least two men and had they been given a chance 
they would have resisted. 

The boys were ordered to dress and placed under arrest. 
Both of these men were big, strapping fellows, weighing about 
175 pounds apiece, and each of them six feet tall. They had 
no dependents, so there was absolutely no excuse for their 
failure to serve their country. It usually is the case in the 
rural districts of the South that nearly everyone is related to 
everybody else, and all are "quick on the trigger" if they think 
their relatives are being sought. It is interesting to mention 
that the house where we captured the brothers had new barbed 
wire fencing almost completely surrounding it, as if they ex- 
pected a little trench warfare of their own. Though we have 
handled numerous other cases, I believe the circumstances 
surrounding this particular one will long linger in the mem- 
ory of those composing the party. 

The Local Agent of the Department of Justice at Bir- 
mingham had many times received information that there 



156 THE WEB 

were a number of deserters and delinquents in the swamps 
of Pickens County, Alabama. The local office there being 
unable to cope with the situation, on Monday, December 

10, a D. J. man, Robert B , went to Gordo to secure 

information as to the location of these men. The informa- 
tion was secured. Mr. B then proceeded to Tusca- 
loosa where he called the Special Agent over long distance 
phone asking that eight A. P. L. men be sent to join him 
in Tuscaloosa. Eight picked men of the A. P. L. assembled, 
and with three high power automobiles, left Birmingham 
at 9 :00 A. M., December 11, arriving in Tuscaloosa at noon. 
At four o'clock the party left Tuscaloosa, going to a point 

two miles from Gordo where deputy sheriff!' D — met 

the party. D was thoroughly familiar with the sur- 
rounding country. 

Leaving the automobiles about two miles from the first 
house that was to be covered, the party very quietly sur- 
rounded the house, not overlooking the barn and out 
houses. They had been informed that the alleged deserter 
had been staying at this house, the owner being his step 
father. The whole place was searched, no evidence being 
found. The step father and young brother were put under 
arrest. This, however, failed to accomplish the desired 
result. The mother was in her bed, an old-time, worn-out 
umbrella beside her. Before the Assistant Chief could 
catch her hand, a heavy blow was accurately placed on his 
head, the old lady remarking, *'I am damn tired of all this 
foolishness!" She was gently relieved of the umbrella and 
convinced that the bed was the place for her. 

A younger daughter, about the age of fifteen, left the 
house at this time by a back entrance and ran a mile to 
another step brother's house, with the evident intention of 
notifying her step brother who was wanted. This was the 
undoing of the A. P. L., as far as this deserter was con- 
cerned. Another step brother of the deserter, however, 
was placed under arrest, handcuffed and brought to jail 
for harboring a deserter. Operatives discovered notices 
that had been put on different houses in the locality of 
this deserter, one of them reading : ' ' You are talking too 
damn much. The first thing you know the sun will rise 
under your house." 



SKULKER CHASING 157 

The party then proceeded to the house of another de- 
serter. The house as usual was surrounded. One of the 
operatives discovered an open window with a blind, the 
window being about two feet square. While a search light 

and a good gun guarded the entrance, Agent B and 

an A, P. L. operative crawled through this opening in the 
room. After awakening the occupants, a deserter and the 
mother of another deserter were found. The deserter was 
forced to dress. The mother was closely questioned re- 
garding her son, and finally agreed that if she would be 
allowed to go alone, she would bring him to us. This was 
agreed to. She was watched and in about fifteen minutes 
she brought her son, who was a deserter, and also her hus- 
band. It was discovered that the son and father were 
sleeping in a ditch about one hundred yards from the 
house. They had bed clothing, and slept in the open air 
with the sky for a roof. These two also were handcuffed 
and brought to jail. 

Tl^e most interesting case on this trip was the capture 
of another deserter who had been away from camp for 
over a year. He and his wife, it is allegedj, had sworn 
that he would never be taken alive. The information was 
that thej^ had bought a lot in the community cemetery 
where they were to be buried together. Arriving at the 
house of the deserter at 2 :15 A. M., the house was covered 
and each Operative given detailed instructions. The de- 
serter was called to the open door, and, was warned not to 
offer resistance, as his house was fully surrounded. When 
told he was wanted by Uncle Sam's men, he opened his 
door and offered no resistance, stating that he had made 
up his mind to surrender to government officers, but not 
to the local officers. Judging from the weapons that he 
had by his bed, he evidently meant what he had said. He 
too was handcuffed and brought to jail. The total mileage 
of this trip was two hundjred and sixteen miles, all without 
a scratch to car or man. 

Lexington, North Carolina, was in this same mountain 
country which furnished so considerable a number of de- 
serters during the war. It is a strange thing to say, but 
perhaps the largest numbers of deserters were found in the 
most American and most loyal part of the country — ^that 



158 THE WEB 

is to say, the South, where there was almost no alien popu- 
lation. The only pure-bred American population in the 
United States was the very element which seemed unwill- 
ing to support the war! This, however, is a statement 
which needs full explanation. Let the Chief of Lexington 
make that explanation in the story of one case . 

Tom B was a Tar-Heel tie hacker and lived in the^' 

mountains of North Carolina, twenty-six miles from a rail- 
road. He could neither read nor write, but was straight and 
strong, and to see him swing a broad-axe was worth a trip 
into the mountains. When Tom heard of the draft he did 
not understand it. He had led a life of peaceful seclusion. 
There were two old Germans over at the railroad that ran 
a store, but Tom could work up no enthusiasm about crossing 
the Atlantic to kill people of that sort. But the draft came 
and many of Tom's meantime friends disappeared. It 
seemed inexplicable to him. He did not want to go to war 
with anybody and did not understand why there was any 
war. The solution of his problem at last came to him. 

His people had come to these mountain fastnesses because 
there they found that liberty of thought and action which 
all our early Americans longed for ; but now into that free- 
dom of action there came some intangible influence which- 
he could not understand. Tom simply resolved to march 
into the forest as his great-grandfather had done. He 
" stepped back into the brush " for the duration of the war. 
For him this was the only natural solution for a problem he 
did not understand. In this way he could escape what 
seemed to him oppression and impairment of the liberty 
which he held more dear than life. So he made the usual 
arrangements. Food would be left for him at a certain spot 
by his people. If anyone came in looking for Tom, his 
people would put up a smoke signal so he would understand. 
Meantime, Tom continued his work in a tie camp, his squirrel 
rifle leaning against a tree. When he finished his work, he 
"stepped back" into deep laurel and was lost as though he 
had gone up into smoke. His decision, having been taken, 
would remain unshakable even unto death. He said, "I 
reckon I made up my mind, and I 'd ruther die here than in 
Germany." 

Let us consider thg situation. Here is Tom B , an 



SKULKER CHASING 159 

American of native blood, afraid of nothing that rides, walks 
or swims, willing to fight his weight in wildcats to defend 
the freedom and liberty of his native hills — and he is a 
fugitive from justice^ Now, how can the A. P. L, save that 
man from the consequence of his folly ? 

He was saved. As soon as the Chief heard of Tom 

B 's disappearance, he packed his timber cruising kit 

and went out into Tom's country. At night he reached the 
cabin of Uncle John Coggins, who knew everybody in that 
neck of the woods and whose word was law. Uncle John 
knew what was up, but he said nothing — only kept his small 
blue eyes fixed on the visitor. After they had finished their 
meal, the two went out and sat on a log in the sun, in the 
middle of a clearing where no one could approach without 
being seen in time. 

' ' I understand, ' ' remarked the Chief casually, ' ' that Tom 
has stepped back into the brush." 

No sign from Uncle John that he had heard anything. 
Tom's name was not mentioned again. 

Then the talk was shifted to the war and other things. 
The chief tried to explain to Uncle John the problem of 
raising the army. He tried to bring home the war, across 
the thousands of miles of sea and land, to this old man sit- 
ting on a log in the western North Carolina mountains. He 
pointed out the purpose and the manifest fairness of selective 
service, taking all alike from all ranks. 

Then they talked about the weather and the crops and 
the soaring price of corn ' ' likker ' ' and the growing scarcity 
of good white oak timber. The Chief went away. Uncle 
John, when he said good-bye, understood perfectly why the 
visitor had come to his cabin. 

Several days later Uncle John appeared in the office of 
the Chief. He drew up a chair and remarked, " Howdy," 
and sat gazing at the other man with about as much anima- 
tion as an Egyptian mummy. Only his little snappy eyes 
under the bushy brows told of his alertness. The conver- 
sation was again about the weather, the crops, the soaring 
price of corn " likker " and the growing scarcity of good 
white oak timber. At length Uncle John hitched his chair 
closer. 

" I kinda tho't you all mought wanter know 'bout Tom 



160 THE WEB 

B ," he said. "I've done been out whar Tom is 

a-settin' back, an' he seed how hit is — an' he's a-comin' in ! " 
The Chief of the A. P. L. nodded. The thing was settled. 
They smoked for a time, discussed the weather, the crops, 
the soaring price of corn ' ' likker ' ' and the growing scarcity 
of good white oak timber. Tom's name was not mentioned 
again. The Chief spoke quite casually of a few details that 
would naturally attend Tom's " comin' in." Uncle John 
said he would attend to those matters. A little later he went 

away. And by and by Tom B came in and joined the 

Army. 

These Southern leaders understood the mountain people. 
Their method of work was infinitely more simple than 
sending a posse out into the brush to round up a desperate 
man who knew how to shoot to kill. There were charac- 
ters who needed other methods; but among the boys in 
the mountains, ignorance and aloofness were the common 
causes of their "stepping back into the brush." To have 
called any one of them afraid to fight would have been 
the deepest insult possible to men of their race. Once in 
the army, they did fight — the records of the Army will 
speak as to that. There never were better or braver sol- 
diers in the world, nor men more loyal and devoted to their 
country. 

Olympia, Washington, had an interesting case of a de- 
serter named G : — , whose father made the statement 

that anyone who took the boy would have to come shoot- 
ing. The house was searched but the boy was gone. The 
A. P. L. operative later became a game warden, and while 
traveling in the country ran across an empty cabin. As 
it was known that the boy's father liadj taken out a trap- 
per's license, they thought that perhaps this cabin might 
be occupied by the deserter. It was in a swamp, built 
under overhanging trees, so it was almost impossible to 
find. There was no trail to the cabin, as the boy did not 
go in and out in any regular way but took different paths 
to avoid discovery. The operative and an associate went 

into the woods, found G 's line of traps, followed 

them up and captured him in the woods. This deserter's 
family would not buy Liberty bonds but said they would 
save their money for ammunition. The prompt and vigor- 



SKULKER CHASING 161 

ous action of A. P. L. closed a case which was notorious 
in the vicinity. 

A study of the reports of operatives engaged in League 
activities at thfe busy Birmingham Division, and indeed all 
over the country, shows an astonishing lack of anything 
like personal violence. It never could be told, however, 
where such an instance might break out. Only two or 
three cases of killing in the course of duty are recorded 
in the thousands of cases handled. One of these comes 
from a quiet little farming village, Morris, Illinois, about 
the last place in the world where anything of the sort 
might have been expected. It resulted in the shooting 
down, in the uniform of our Army, of Private A. J. 

K , Company D., U. S. Infantry, a deserter from 

Koek Island arsenal. K had escaped from confine- 
ment at Eock Island with Corporal George S , Act- 
ing Sheriff S , who also was Chief of the A. P. L. 

at Morris, accompanied by Chief of Police A , had 

been advised to be on the lookout for two deserters who 
were reported to be bad men. 

The two men were on top of a box car when a train 
pulled into town, and were accosted by the Sheriff. They 
claimed to be government guards, and were asked to show 

their papers. A weapon was seen in S 's pocket. 

The other man, still on the top of the ear, covered the 
two peace officers and ordered them to keep away or he 
would shoot. At last the Sheriff managed to get the drop 
on him before he fired, but meantime the train began to 
pull out, so no shooting ensued at that time. 

Morris wired Joliet to arrest the soldiers when the train 
got in. The man hunt now was on, because other officers 
down the valley reported the men wanted for desertion. 
The two fugitives left the train at Durkee's Crossing and 
hid in the woods near the tracks. The Sheriff got a posse 
and following down the track, located the men and sur- 
rounded the wood where they were concealed. The chief 

got up to S unnoticed, covered him with a rifle and 

told him to come along, which he did. He then asked 
S where the other man was. 

Just then, K , who had not been seen, called to 

the officer to drop the gun or he would shoot. Some 



162 THE WEB 

threatening talk ensued on botli sides and K ad- 
vanced, the officer still commanding him to drop his gun 

as he was under arrest. K , in turn, demanded that 

the chief should drop his rifle, holding him covered fair all 
the time. The Chief then calledi for his men to fire. Patrol- 
man Wm. M fired on K with his rifle, and 

K dropped. He did not die immediately, and was 

taken to the hospital in Morris that night. The patrol- 
man's bullet passed through his left shoulder, cut through 

the lung, and lodged near the heart. K refused to 

talk. His companion talked more freely, and said that 

K was badj and had had a shooting difficulty in 

West Virginia. They had both been in confinement, and 
had escaped with the intention of going back to West 

Virginia. He said that K ''was the best shot in the 

regiment, and was a 'killer.' " That the A. P. L. Chief 
was not himself killed is nothing less than a marvel. 



CHAPTER XIII 

ARTS OF THE OPERATIVES 

The Midnight Camera — The Way of a Man and a Maid 
and a Dictagraph — Secret Inks and Codes — Stories of 
the Trail — How Evidence Was Secured. 

It already has been stated that the American Protective 
League had no governmental or legal status, though strong 
as Gibraltar in governmental and legal sanction. The mails 
are supposed to be sacred — the Postmaster General has 
sworn they always shall be sacred. They are sacred. But 
let us call the A. P, L. sometimes almost clairvoyant as 
to letters done by suspects. Sometimes it clairvoyantly 
found the proofs it sought! 

It is supposed that breaking and entering a man's home 
or office place without warrant is burglary. Granted. But 
the League has done that thousands of times and has never 
been detected ! It is entirely naive and frank about that. 
It did not harm or unsettle any innocent man. It was after 
the guilty alone, and it was no time to mince matters or 
to pass fine phrases when the land was full of dangerous 
enemies in disguise. The League broke some little laws 
and precedents? Perhaps. But it upheld the great law 
under the great needj of an unprecedented hour. 

A man's private correspondence is supposed to be safe 
in his office files or vault. You suppose yours never was 
seen? Was it? Perhaps. It certainly was, if you were 
known as a loyal citizen — a true-blood American. But the 
League examined all of the personal and business corre- 
spondence of thousands of men who never were the wiser. 

How could that be done ? Simply, as we shall see. Sup- 
pose there was a man, ostensibly a good business man, appar- 
ently a good citizen and a good American, but who at heart 
still was a good German — as hundreds of thousands of 
such men living in America are this very day. This man 

163 



164 THE WEB 

has a big office in a down-town skyscraper. He is wliat 
the A. P. L. calls a ''suspect." Let ns call him Bieder- 
macher. 

About midnight or later, after all the tenants have gone 
home, you and I, who chance to be lieutenants and oper- 
atives in the League, just chance in at the corridor of that 
building as we pass. "We just chance to find there the 
agent of the building — who just chances also to wear the 
concealed badge of the A. P. L. You say to the agent of 
the buildi-ng, "I want to go through the papers of Bieder- 
macher, Room 1117, in your building." 

"John," the agent says to the janitor, "give me your 
keys, I've forgotten mine, and I want to go to my office 
a while with these gentlemen." 

We three, openly, in fact, do go to Biedermacher's office. 
His desk is opened, his vault if need be — it has been done 
a thousand times in every city of America. Certain letters 
or documents are found. They would be missed if taken 
away. What shall be done? 

The operative takes from his pocket a curious little box- 
like instrument which he sets up on the table. He unscrews 
a light bulb, screws in the plug at the end of his long 
insulated wire. He has a perfectly effective electric cam- 
era. 

One by one the essential papers of Biedermacher are 
photographed, page by page, and then returned to the 
files exactly — and that means exactly — in the place from 
which each was taken. The drawers and doors are locked 
again. Search has been made witliout a search warrant. 
The serving of a search warrant would have " queere-d " 
the whole case and would not have got the evidence. The 
camera film has it safe. 

" Pretty wife and kids the fellow has," says the agent 
of the building, turning over the photographs which the 
simple and kindly Biedermacher, respected Board of Trade 
broker, .we will say, has in his desk. He turns them back 
again to exactly — exactly — the same position. 

" Good night, John," he yawns to the janitor, when 
they meet him on the floor below. " Pretty late, isn't it?" 

The three men pass out to the street and go home. 
Each of them in joining the League has sworn to break 



ARTS OF THE OPERATIVES 165 

any social engagement to obey a call from the League 
headquarters . at any hour of the day or night. Perhaps 
such engagements have been broken to-night by some or 
all of these three men. But no one has " broken and 
entered" Biedermacher's office. 

In Central office some data are added to a card, cross- 
indexed by name and number also, and under a general 
guide. Some photostats, as these pictures are called, are 
put in the " case's " envelope. Nothing happens just yet. 
Biedermacher still is watched. 

Then, one morning, an officer of the Department of Jus- 
tice finds Mr. Biedermacher in his office. He takes from 
his pocket a folded paper and says, " In the name of the 
Unite-d States, I demand possession of a letter dated the 
12th of last month, which you wrote to von Bernstorif in 
New York. I want a letter of the 15th of this month which 
you wrote to von Papen in Berlin. I want your list of 
the names of the United Sangerbund and German Brother- 
hood in America which you brought home from the last 
meeting. I want the papers showing the sums you have 
received from New York and Washington for your pro- 
paganda work here in this city. I want the letter received 
by you from seven Lutheran ministers in Wiseonsin tell- 
ing of their future addresses to the faithful." 

" But, my God! " says Biedermacher, " what do you 
mean? I h^ve no such letters here or anywhere else. I 
am innocent! I am as good an American as you are. I 
have bought a hundred thousand dollars' worth of Liberty 
bonds, some of each issue. My wife is in the Ee-d Cross. 
I have a daughter in Y. W. C. A. I give to all the war 
charities. I am an American citizen. What do you mean 
by insulting me, sir? " 

" John," says the officer to his drayman, '* go to that 
desk. Take out all the papers in it. Here's the U. S. 
warrant, Mr. Biedermacher. Rope 'em up, John." 

John ropes up the files, and the papers go in bulk to 
the office of the U. S. attorney on the case. Now, all the 
evidence is in possession of the Government, and the case 
is clear. Biedermacher is met quietly at the train when 
he tries to get out of town. Nothing gets into the papers. 
No one talks — secrecy is the oath. But before long, the 



166 THE WEB 

big Biedermacher offices are closed. Biedermacher's wife 
says her husband has gone south for his health. He has 
— to Oglethorpe. 

You think this case imaginary, far-fetched, impossible? 
It is neither of the three. It is the truth. It shows how 
D. J. and A. P. L. worked together. This is a case which 
has happened not once but scores and hundreds of times. 
It is espionage, it is spy work, yes, and it has gone on to 
an extent of which the average American citizen, loyal or 
disloyal, has had no conception. It was, however, the 
espionage of a national self-defense. It was only in this 
way that the office and the mail and the home of the loyal 
citizen could be held inviolate. The web of the A. P. L. 
was precisely that of the submarine net. Invisible, it 
offered an apparently frail but actually efficient defense 
against the dastardly weapons of Germany. 

It must become plain at once that secret work such as 
this, carried on in such volume all across the country — 
three million cases, involving an enormous mass of detail 
and an untold expenditure of time and energy, were dis- 
posed of — meant system and organization to prevent over- 
lapping of work and consequent waste of time. It meant 
more than that — there was needed also good judgment, 
individual shrewdness and of course, above all things, pa- 
tience and hard work. 

For instance, John Wielawski is a deserter reported to 
National Headjquarters missing from Camp Grant, Illinois, 
possibly hiding in Chicago. The order goes to the Chief 
in Chicago, who hands it to the right district lieutenant. 
The latter finds in his cards the name of an operative who 
speaks Wielawski 's native tongue. The latter goes to the 
neighborhood where Wielawski lived, inquires especially 
in regard to any sweetheart or sweethearts Wielawski may 
have had. It is certain he left some ties somewhere, that 
he has been seen, that he has written at least a line, or 
will write. His running down is sure. The League has 
found thousands of deserters, located thousands of men 
who had refused to take out their second naturalization 
papers, thousands who were skulkers and draft evaders. 
They could not escape the Web which reached all across 
America, unseen, but deadly sure. 



ARTS OF THE OPERATIVES 167 

The great average intelligence of the League members 
alone made the extraordinary results possible. These were 
no ordinary hired sleuths of the mysterious detective type, 
gum-shoe artists with a bent for masks and false eyebrows. 
On the contrary, the officers and operatives w^ere men of 
standing, of great personal intelligence and sober good 
sense. They dropped their private affairs, in which they 
had been successful, to obey the League call at any time. 
They studied their new -duties regularly and faithfully, 
as best they could — and they learned them. 

The methods of such men varied widely. They had 
attended no outside school, had no special governmental 
training. Their success depended on the natural alertness 
of the American character. For instance, one gentleman 
prominent in the work, we will say in New York, was 
sent after a draft evader whose name, racially considered, 
did not tally with his personal description. The operative 
found his case originated in a foreign part of the city. His 
man had originally lived in a certain flat. Some boys 
played ball near by. The operative strolled by to watch, 
engaged two or three in conversation. Yes, a dark man 
— some said he was a Turk — had lived there. He had 
moved, they didn't know where. He used to work in a 
laundry, they thought. Very well, a Turk and a laundry, 
man would naturally be found in some other laundry, pos- 
sibly near his own people. The case was carried on until, 
in a laundry in another part of the same city, a new man 
was found — he had a new name, but the same face. 
Eventually he was put where he belonged. 

The psalmist of old voiced his complaint that there were 
three things in the world which he did not knoAv, three 
things which he could not find out : the way of a ship 
upon the sea, the way of the serpent on a rock, an-d the 
way of a man with a maid. The trouble with Solomon 
was that he seems not to have owned either a geometry, 
a microscope or a dictagraph. These used respectively in 
connection with the problems described above might have 
helped him out considerably. 

A. P. L. operatives at Nyack, New York, had Solomon 
beaten by a city block. They installed a dictagraph in a 
room frequented by one A. L , who was impersonat- 



168 THE WEB 

ing an officer, declaring that he was ** Chief of the Secret 
Service from New York to Boston." His game was to 
advertise for women to engage in espionage work, saying 
that the Government would pay a big price and would 
also buy clothes and hats for the operatives and put them 
up at the best hotels. It was suspectedi very keenly that 

Mr. A. L was neither employed by the Government 

nor acting as an officer and a gentleman ought to act. He 
did not know anything about the deadly dictagraph which 
A. P. L. had placed in this apartment. Hence, he con- 
versed quite freely with a certain Mrs. U , who had 

answered his advertisement and at whose apartment he was 
paying a call. They seem first to have talked about the 
apartment itself, the conversation going as follows: 

Mrs. v.: Isn't it nice? I'm crazy about it. He is a curio 
dealer, the owner of the apartment. Here Is the dish closet. 
Here is the kitchen. Look and see the bedroom. I haven't 
got my bed linen yet. Sit down and I'll talk to you. Oh, 
I've got to get rid of this hat; my head aches. 

Mr. L — : Oh, what a nice lamp. 

Mrs. V — : Isn't it lovely? See, you can turn the lights on 
here. Look, this is the telephone downstairs. There's one 
thing; they are very strict here. You have to be careful. Sit 
down there, 

(Pause of a minute.) 

Mrs. V — : I can't swallow a pill to save my life. Now, 
I'll tell you what I have to say. Do you know I like that pic- 
ture? I think it must have been a calendar. You know he 
said he would buy me anything I wanted. He is some kid, 
that boy. This is just like the headache I had two weeks 
ago. I had such a headache. All day Sunday I was in bed 
and I couldn't get any relief. It's just the same old way all 
along. It is so trying. Now, I want to hear all about your 
trip. I am terribly interested. Tell me all about it. 

Mr. L — ; Now, tell me exactly what you told him. 

Mrs. U — : Sit down. Here's what I told him. 

Mr. L — : What's his name and all about him? 

Mrs. U — : Well, the first time I met him he told me all 
about the story of his life. Then, some time after that I met 
him again. "Hey, kid," he said, "you know a lot of people in 
Wall Street; take me down there and introduce me to some 



ARTS OF THE OPERATIVES 169 

of them." I said: "I have a friend who is very well con- 
nected." Well, I saw him again and I told him that I had met 
you, and that you were right close to the Government and 
were in touch with the Government offices and you got inside 
news. Of course, I didn't tell him that you were in the Secret 
Service of the Government, You don't want me to tell him 
that, do you? 

Mr. L — : No, not at all. I'll decide what I want to tell him. 

Mrs. U — : Do you think he could be a spy? 

Mr. L — : Yes, he could be. He acts just like one. He acts 
like a perfect damn fool. 

Mrs. U — : Well, how do they act? 

Mr. L — : They act just this way. That's their game. 

Mrs. V — : Oh, I get so excited about your work. 

Mr. L — : Yes; you know, if you were to catch a spy like 
that, it would be worth $5,000 to you. 

Mrs. U—: $5000! Would it really? Who would pay that? 

Mr, L — : The Government. 

Mrs. U — : Oh, it's so exciting! You must think me silly, 
but I can't help getting all excited about this Secret Service 
work! And you're the head of it, too, aren't you? 

Mr. L — : I am not the head of it all. I am only the head 
of certain branches. You know there are different branches. 

Mrs. U — : Which are you in? 

Mr. L — : In the Treasury Department. 

Mrs. U — : In the Treasury Department? 

Mr. L — : Yes, I'm the head of the Treasury Department 
and three other Departments besides. Four of them alto- 
gether. There are seventeen different branches, you know; 
I have full charge of this one. 

Mrs. V — : No wonder you're so busy! Well, have you 
caught any spies lately? 

Mr. L — : Oh, yes. We get them right along. I got forty 
last week. 

Mrs. U — : You know, we have known each other a long 
time now, haven't we? You know, it's funny how you meet 
people through advertisements. Nearly everybody that I met 
in a business way I met through advertisements. And every- 
body that I met that way turned out to be a factor in my life! 
I met a good friend of mine, a girl, through an ad. And then, 
I have got some very good positions through advertisements. 
And then, I met you through that ad in — let's see — was it the 
"Times"? 

Mr. L—: No, the "Herald." 

Mrs. V — : Tell me about that girl that you said you had 
that was so good. Is she still catching spies? 



170 ^ THE WEB 

Mr. L — : Yes; she got fourteen last week. 

Mrs. U — : Gee! She must have worked overtime. . . . 
Did she have to do what you wanted me to do? 

Mr. L — : Oh, yes, you see she was crazy about the work. 

Mrs. U — : Gosh, you know that is very interesting to me. 
How many girls did you get from that advertisement? I 
guess you think I am a fool, but I get so interested, and I like 
to have you tell me all these things. 

Mr. L — : Oh, I don't remember. You know, I think the 
spies would take to you and I don't blame them. I know I 
would. 

Mrs. U — : Do you think they would like a red-head? Is 
there any demand at all for them? 

Mr. L — : Oh, I couldn't see all of them. 

Mrs. V — : I guess you're busy now with all these German 
submarines around, aren't you? 

Mr. L — : Oh, yes, indeed; very busy. They are very dan- 
gerous people. 

Mrs. U — : Do you always have to teach those girls that 
you have in the Secret Service? You know I have been read- 
ing all about this spy work and this Secret Service thing since 
I saw you. I am so much interested. They go by numbers, 
don't they, instead of names? Well, if I was in the service, 
would you look up all about where I was born, and who my 
people were, and everything like that? Would you do that to 
see if I had any German blood? I'll tell you why I ask it, 
because the Y. M. C. A. people told me that they would have 
to look me up very carefully and that they would have to find 
out if any of my people were born in Germany. . . . How 
long have you been in the Government Secret Service? 

Mr. L — : Twenty-five years. 

Mrs. U — : Twenty-five years! Oh, dear, and no one would 
ever know that you were in it. 

Mr. L — : Come here — oh, you're just a little kiddie. 

Mrs. U — : Oh, now, wait a minute, just wait a minute! 

The operatives who were listening to this partially 
reported conversation in the janitor's room did not wait 
even a minute. They broke down the door and arrested 

Mr. L . He was turned over to the United States 

Secret Service and arraigned before the Assistant District 
Attorney. His activities as an employer of espionage 
agents thereupon ceased abruptly. He was a cheap and 
dirty imposter. 

It was found in hundreds of cases — and the knowledge 



ARTS OF THE OPERATIVES 171 

was invariably suppressed — that an alien suspect's sud^ 
den and mysterious shifts and changes, his suspicious and 
watchful conduct, his evasive acts, all had to do with noth- 
ing more than the fact that the man had a mistress or so 
in another part of the city. The woman in his case very 
often was not the woman in the case at all, for there was 
no case, so far as the League was concerned. But countless 
men were quietly warned. Often with tears they implored 
the secrecy which was given them. There are hundreds, 
perhaps thousands, of men in America whose private lives 
are known to the League and not known in their own 
families. There is yet to be known the first case where 
any advantage ever was taken of the unintended victim 
caught in the general meshes of the Web ; but it may be 
interesting for any of those of guilty conscience who by 
chance may read these lines, to know that their lives are 
filed away, cross-indexed, for future reference in the vast 
archives of the Department of Justice at Washington ! 

The extent of these " woman cases," as they were known, 
is very considerable, and the per cent of suspect spy cases 
which simmered down to a petticoat basis is a very large 
one. A great part of the work of the League was done in 
finding the woman, if not in searching for her specifically. 
The League brought up from the deep-sea soundings of its 
steel meshes all the sordid and unworthy phases of human 
life on the part of both men and women. But while comb- 
ing out the discards of human intrigue, the League often 
found the evidence it really sought. This was without fail 
use-d mercilessly and coldly. 

One case, handled by the Central Division in Chicago, 
we may call the Otero case. Word came from El Paso that 
a certain prominent Mexican, a revolutionary and political 
leader with aspirations for a very high office in that repub- 
lic, had come into the United States and was headed north, 
probably for Chicago. Nothing was known about him and 
his purpose excepting that his name was given. The 
League at once began making inquiries about Senor Otero. 
It was found that he was traveling in a special car. Obvi- 
ously, therefore, he was a man of money. Ergo, he would 
go to a good hotel, and he probably would make a reserva- 
tion in advance. Inquiries were made by telephone at all 



172 THE WEB 

the leading hotels in Chicago, which in practically all cases 
were members of the American Protective League. Senor 
Otero was found to have reserved a large suite at the 
Blackstone, and had made the time of his arrival known. 
From that time on, he was in the hands of the American 
Protective League, although he never knew it. The boy 
who took his bag at the door was an A, P. L. operative, 
the bellhop who responded to his summons was an A. P. L. 
operative, his waiter at table was A. P. L., his night taxi- 
cab driver was A. P. L. In fact, the A. P. L. put Senor 
Otero to bed and woke him up in the morning, followed 
his activities during the day and knew what he was doing 
all night. It was not discovered that he was engaged in 
any plot against the peace of the United States, but was 
apparently active in the more pleasant task of spending 
some money he had gotten hold of in Mexico. If relatives 
or friends of the Senor Otero would be pleased to know 
how he spent it, the nature of his associations in Chicago 
by day — or night — and if they can persuade the Depart- 
ment of Justice to advise them, they can find the entire 
record of his stay in Chicago. Hadi he been engaged in 
any suspicious acts against this country, his return to Mex- 
ico might not have been so peaceful. 

If an A. P. L. man knew the chemistry of any synthetic 
or invisible ink, he would not make the secret public any 
more than would M. I. D. Many devices for making and 
using these inks, however, are very generally known, 
although it is believed that Great Britain and France have 
gone farthest in classifying and developing them. A piece 
of a necktie has been taken from one German, a corner of 
which, snipped off and put in a glass of water, would 
make an invisible ink. A shoestring has been known to 
do the same thing, a small piece of it making enough for 
a letter or more. A shirt-stud has been described by a 
foreign operative, which, when unscrewed and dropped 
into a glass of water, woul-d do the same thing and leave 
no trace. With what chemicals were these articles treated 
in order to make the ink? Ah, that is another matter. 
If the author knew, he could not tell. One thing is sure, 
it is not likely that the most inventive writer of "detect- 
ive " stories could imagine anything more ingenious or 



ARTS OF THE OPERATIVES 173 

more baffling than some of these well-known methods in 
use by our own men. 

Mr. Byron R. Newton, collector at the port of New York, 
gave out a curious story on the work done by the Cus- 
toms Intelligence Bureau, created as a lookout for smug- 
glers and others. This service was employed in searching 
ships, examining baggage, looking out for explosive bombs, 
invisible writing, and so forth. Mr. Newton's story 
appeared in the New York Herald of July 14, 1918, and 
from it one incident may be taken. 

Through the Boarding Officials, a passenger who arrived the 
other day has furnished interesting material for the Intelli- 
gence Bureau investigators. The passenger, who for some 
time had been a resident of Germany, although an American 
citizen, said he had been approached in Dresden by German 
agents and asked if on his return to the United States he 
would obtain military and other information of interest to 
the Imperial German Intelligence Bureau. He was furnished 
with a code to be used by him for forwarding information to 
Germany and also with a formula for manufacturing an in- 
visible ink, and with paper to be treated by a special process 
for correspondence. The passenger, in evidence of what he 
stated, offered four collars to the customs officials. They ap- 
peared to be ordinary negligee collars of cream-colored mate- 
rial — double, turn-over collars, medium height, such as many 
men wear with sport shirts or for informal occasions. The 
passenger explained the purpose of these collars as follows: 

"I take a soup plate and I put boiling water in it and let it 
stand for about a quarter of an hour, after which I throw 
away the water. The plate being warm, I place one of these 
collars in it. I pour over the collar one hundred grams of 
boiling w;ater and let it stand for half an hour. Then I wring 
out the collar, and the water that remains is my invisible ink. 
They call it 'pyrogram.' It looks like water, it is not poison- 
ous and it can be drunk. 

"I wash my hands, since they are wet with this ink, and 
take the paper and fold it crosswise and begin the letter, 
writing two fingers from the edge. I let it dry, and then take 
a glass of water and put about one teaspoonful of ammonia in 
it. "With a piece of wadding dipped in this solution of am- 
monia and water, I rub the paper both ways, and thus prepare 
it on both sides. After this I place the paper in this wet con- 
dition between blotting paper and under heavy books or a 
trunk for three hours. You will not be able to recognize the 



174 THE WEB 

paper axiy more. It looks like foreign writing paper, very 
thin and glazed. I can write anything I choose on this letter 
now. When they get the letter and develop it the writing 
appears positively black. I head the letter 'Dear Bob' and 
they know it is a code letter. When I am through with the 
letter I use the word 'Schluss,' because in developing it, they 
want to know if they have the entire letter, and that word 
ends it up." 

This passenger also told the examining officials that in car- 
rying addresses without an address book, the German agentg 
usually take a bone button of an overcoat or a large button 
of some sort and on the reverse side scratch the address with 
a diamond, sometimes also scratching instructions which they 
cannot carry in their heads. After this they treat the button 
with shellac, or, as they call it in Germany, "spitituslak." 
That fills the crevices and dries rapidly. On reaching the 
destination, they use pure alcohol to wash off the shellac. 
They also write addresses on this paper and work them into 
leather buttons. 

Cipher and code are part of the education of certain 
intelligence officers, but into a discussion of these matters 
we may not go, as they are secrets of the American Gov- 
ernment, Our own experts were able to decipher and 
decode all the secret messages bearing on the great German 
plots in this country, but this was not usually A. P. L. 
work. Of course, the lay reader, or more especially the 
A. P. L. member, may know that a cipher means the sub- 
stitution of some symbol, or some number, or another 
letter, for each letter of the alphabet. Or the real letters 
may be transposed, one to stand for another, in such a way 
that only the sender and receiver may understand. That 
looks hard to read? Not at all. It is easier than code. 
It is said that any cipher message can be unriddled in 
time. 

A code is a scheme agreed on by which the two parties 
substitute certain whole words for the real words of the 
message. A code message might seem wholly innocent — 
let us say, just a simple comment on the weather. But 
suppose " bright and fair " meant in code ** The Leviathan 
sailed this morning," and suppose the Leviathan were a 
transport carrying twelve thousand troops to France! 
Unless the de-code artist is indeed an artist, he cannot 



ARTS OF THE OPERATIVES 175 

know what interchange in ideas had been agreed upon 
for interchanged words ; and there are not twenty-six let- 
ters, but 26,000 words which may be transposed in mean- 
ing. The big German spy work — that is, the chain of 
messages that passed between the German Embassy in 
America and the Imperial Headquarters in Berlin — was 
done in enciphered code. They had first been written in 
German before coding, and after coding, the code was put 
in cipher. None the less, we read them, and von Bern- 
storff, Dr. Albert, et al., are no more on our soil. 

This is specialized, expert work of the most delicate and 
difficult sort, and is not for the average amateur. Some- 
times the latter had more enthusiasm than knowledge in 
his ambition to be a real sleuth, and in such eases, perhaps 
something amusing might happen, where zeal did not jump 
with discretion. 



BOOK II 

THE TALES OF THE CITIES 



CHAPTER I 

THE STORY OF CHICAGO 

The Birthplace of the American Protective League — Cen- 
ter of Enemy Alien Activities — Focus of German Propa- 
ganda and Home of Pro-German Cults and Creeds — Story 
of the League's Work and Workers. 

The unvarnished story of the growth and accomplish- 
ments of this League is the greatest proof in the world 
of the ability for self-government of intelligent, educated 
and thinking men. The American Protective League was 
made up of sober citizens who had something to protect. 
It was no one man, no one set of men, no one city, which 
makes it great. The real credit belongs to the unclassified 
and unsegregated Little Fellow. 

We had in this war the usual amount of self-seeking. 
Our first pages abounded in pictures and praises of our 
great men, born of God to do wonders in ships, supplies, 
aeroplanes and armies. Some of them worked for a dollar 
a year. Some of them earned that much, many a great 
deal less. The scandals of this war are as great as the 
scandals of any war, when you come to know the truth 
about them. But there is no scandal attached to the plain, 
average citizen in this war. It was he, the real democrat 
and the real American, who won this war for us. 

There is no charge of vain-glory, no charge of ineffi- 
ciency and self-seeking attached to the story of Chateau 
Thierry and Belleau Wood and the Argonne, where died 
thousands of Little Fellows become great in making good. 
Neither is there any scandal attaching to the unknown 
men, the unnamed Little Fellows who '* made good " back 
home behind the lines — the men who usually get lost 
after any war when the glory is being passed around by 
the politicians and paid historians. 

179 



180 THE WEB 

There is, in a work such as this, no such thing as divid- 
ing or apportioning personal or local credit or approba- 
tion. Names, portraits, credits, praises — nothing of these 
is 'desired or may be iDegun, for there could be no end; 
and besides, one man is as big and as good as another in 
A. P. L. The League existed in countless communities 
all over the country — so many, it is not possible even to 
name a fraction of them. There is not even the possibility 
of mentioning more than a few of the greater centers of 
the work, and that in partial fashion only. 

In this plan, perhaps, the city of Chicago naturally may 
come first, because, as we have seen, it was there that the 
League began. Besides, in this great Western hive of all 
the races, there are far more Germans than there are 
Americans. Have you not heard that astounding utter- 
ance of a sitting Mayor to the effect that Chicago is ' ' the 
sixth greatest German city on the earth "? One also has 
heard an earlier Mayor of Chicago say that in his political 
plans he cared nothing at all for the American vote. 
" Give me the Austrian and the Italian and the Polish 
vote," he said ; " but above all, give me the German vote ! " 
Perhaps he would not be so outspoken to-day. 

Among the unassimilated rabble who make a certain por- 
tion of Chicago 's polyglot politik-f utter, there are perhaps 
more troublemakers than in any other city of America. 
It is our own fault that they make so much trouble, but 
they do make it and they have. Bolsheviki, socialists, 
incendiaries, I. W. W.'s, Lutheran treason-talkers, Russel- 
lites, Bergerites, all the other-ites, religious and social 
fanatics, third-sex agitators, long haired visionaries and 
work-haters from every race in the world — Chicago had 
them and has them still, because she has invited them, 
accepted them and made them free of the place. Cheap 
politicians have done the rest; mayors who care nothing 
for the American vote. 

This was the situation when we declared war. We then 
heard less about the " duty " the foreign-born had reserved 
when they swore (and then forgot) their solemn Del- 
briicked oaths of renunciation of all other allegiance, and 
of loyalty to America alone. But underneath this smug 
oath of faith to America, all too often the Teuton and his 



- THE STORY OF CHICAGO 181 

kin, the Kaiser's friend and sympathizer, still hid 
unchanged. To-day, as thousands of them read these lines, 
they know that this is the truth. 

When we went to war, the militant Chicago Germans 
did not change — they simply submerged, German fashion ; 
that was all. Then Chicago dropped her paravanes — 
spread down her WEB — to guard against under-surface 
attacks. 

Once firmly established, the Chicago Division grew by leaps 
and bounds. On March 22, 1917, the first definite steps were 
taken toward the forma,tion of a compact organization. Cap- 
tains were appointed by Mr. Briggs, and these in turn organ- 
ized their own working squads. Mr. Clabaugh was now 
beginning to get some of the assistance he so sorely needed. 

Then, on April 6, came war. Followed the days of swift 
expansion and organization which have been covered in the 
preceding pages. Every day saw new men enrolled, big men, 
men eager to contribute time, money, experience, brains, 
energy and faithfulness. This is the story of the whole 
League, and this is Chicago's story, too. 

On April 10, Mr. Charles Daniel Ftey was appointed a 
captain in the Chicago Division, and shortly afterward, Mr. 
Victor Elting came into the organization as an appointee of 
Mr. Frey. Two months had now passed since the first Chi- 
cago operative had gone forth on an official mission. Chicago 
Division was demonstrably a success. Yet something more 
was needed. Work was piling up faster than personnel. It 
was now patent that Chicago must have a larger, stronger 
organization — an organization under direct executive con- 
trol which would do its work with efficiency and business-like 
despatch. System was needed ; speed was needed — and men. 
On May 22, as a first step in the reorganization, Mr. Briggs 
appointed Mr. Frey as Chief of the Chicago Division and 
Mr. Elting as Assistant Chief. 

Mr. Frey and Mr. Elting thereupon developed a compre- 
hensive plan of organization for the Chicago Division — a 
plan which was adopted in its main outlines by almost all of 
the large cities. Chicago was divided into zones, and an 
Inspector was appointed to direct and supervise the work 
in each zone. Bureaus were established covering the whole 
range of League operations. Bankers, railroad men, mer- 



182 THE WEB ^ 

chants, professional men — leading men from every sphere 
of activity were placed in charge of bureau work for which 
they were especially fitted. 

The League was now a going concern in Chicago. That 
it should become national in every sense of the word was 
inevitable. In October, 1917, Mr. Frey and Mr. Elting joined 
Mr. Briggs in "Washington and, in conference with the Attor- 
ney General of the United States, it was decided to establish 
National Headquarters in the Capital. The three men who 
were responsible for this great step became the national 
directors of the League. Pending the appointment of a 
Chief and Assistant Chief for the Chicago Division, Mr. R. A. 
Gunn, who had made a most efficient record as an Inspector, 
was appointed Acting Chief. 

On January 26, 1918, Mr. John P. Gilchrist was appointed 
Chief of the Chicago Division, a position which he continued 
to hold until September 21, 1918, six weeks before the 
Armistice. Under his wise leadership, the organization 
gained in strength and numbers and influence, and handled, 
in wholly admirable fashion, the many difficult problems 
which arose during nine of the most trying months of the 
war. The Chicago unit, at the close of 1917, numbered 4,500 
active members and about 2,000 industrial members. At the 
time of the Armistice, these numbers had been increased to 
6,142 active members and over 7,000 members in the indus- 
trial division. 

Upon the resignation of Mr. Gilchrist, a committee plan 
of executive control was adopted, and Mr. R. A. Gunn was 
appointed Chief. Mr. Gunn's report^ to D. J., covering the 
work of the Chicago Division almost to the period of the 
Armistice, will give at least a partial notion of what was 
accomplished, and should, therefore, be summarized: 

The greater part of the work of the organization is, of 
course, the work assigned from the Bureau of Investigation, 
with such complaints as are received from our own members, 
both active and industrial, and a number that come through 
the mail. We receive an average of 175 D. J. cases daily. 
Our reports when turned In are vised by the Chief of our 
Bureau of Investigation, and those deemed ready for prose- 
cution are turned over to the Special Agent assigned, and by 
him are taken to the District Attorney for active prosecution. 
I believe that our co-operation with the Bureau has been 



THE STORY OF CHICAGO 183 

active and I think, helpful, at all times. We have furnished 
A. P. L. men used for special work, such as under-cover Inves- 
tigations in the County Jail and in the Internment Camps. 
Through our organization, which covers practically every bank- 
ing institution, mercantile, industrial and manufacturing 
plant, every profession and trade, in the entire Chicago dis- 
trict, we have furnished special and specific information from 
among our own members, which the Bureau of Investigation 
has generously intimated could hardly have been secured from 
any other source. 

At its own expense, A. P. L. furnished three competent 
stenographers for a period of three months to systematize, 
card and index the 18,000 male German alien enemies, regis- 
tered by the United States Marshal. During the "drives" of 
the Red Cross, many rumors and derogatory statements con- 
cerning the work of the Red Cross were spread broadcast 
through the country. A. P. L. ran down hundreds of com- 
plaints, secured many convictions, and handled the entire 
investigation of the Red Cross until quite recently, when they 
added a Bureau of Investigation of their own. The propa- 
ganda has practically ceased. 

Work in co-operation with the Local Fuel Administrator 
was always active. Beginning with the fuelless Mondays, A. 
P. L. placed at his disposal some 3,500 men for checking up 
violations. On the lightless Monday and Tuesday night, A. 
P. L. had out the entire active organization checking viola- 
tions of this sort. Again, on the order of the Administrator 
that no gasoline should be used on Sundays for pleasure, the 
entire organization was called on for service. During the 
wheatless and meatless days, also, the entire organization 
was called on to check and report violations among the res- 
taurants, hotels and other places. 

Chicago received daily from M. I. D. at Washington an aver- 
age of twenty-five cases for character and loyalty investigations 
of civilians and officers going into foreign service. This work 
alone required the services of a Bureau Chief and five clerical 
assistants at headquarters. 

Following the bomb explosion at the Federal building (where, 
by the way, A. P. L. mobilized within half an hour 1,700 men 
for duty if called upon), the officials of the United States War 
Exposition called on the organization for help. For eight 
days, an average of two hundred and fifty A. P. L. men 
mingled with the crowd both afternoon and evening with a 
view of preventing panics and of detecting and forestalling 
•ny outrage. 

Next in volume to the work from D. J. was that which came 



184 THE WEB 

in under the Selective Service Act in connection with the draft 
problem. In addition to the locating of registrants, the divi- 
sion, on request, conducted investigations on a number of 
Local Boards, and also investigated thousands of cases in- 
volving deferred classifications, where the result of the inves- 
tigation placed the registrant in Class 1-A and made him 
available for immediate service. 

At the specific request of the commanding officer of the 
local branch of the Ordnance Department, Chicago division 
conducted a total of 536 investigations of officers and em- 
ployees of the Ordnance Department in Chicago. Similar 
work was done for the Bureau of Investigation. 

Chief Gunn concludes his simple and convincing narra- 
tive with a few division figures : 

In conclusion I would say that at the headquarters of our 
units we employed sixty-six stenographers and clerks who were 
directed by thirty-one able men who gave their entire time, 
days, nights, and often Sundays, without one penny from our 
Treasury, to the direction of this work. In addition to this, we 
maintained eighteen captain's offices, the average monthly ex- 
penditure of each being in the neighborhood of $300. Exclu- 
sive of this, our average monthly expenses were about $7,000, 
which money was raised both from our own membership and 
from subscriptions of individuals and commercial houses. 

We have been insistent at all times that our men should 
set a patriotic example to all others in accepting active serv- 
ice when liable or able. This is evidenced by the fact that 
five hundred and fifty of our members are now in the serv- 
ice. I have no hesitancy in saying that for loyalty, abil- 
ity, judgment, and willingness to serve their country, I do not 
know, nor do I believe there can exist, a more splendid body 
of men than is contained in the membership of our Division of 
the American Protective League. 

Follows the statistical record of the work accomplished 
by the Chicago division of the American Protective League 
up to January 21, 1919 : 

Neutrality cases investigated 43,026 

War Department — all branches. 

Character and loyalty investigations 3,739 

American Red Cross. 

Character and loyalty investigations 115 

Illinois Volunteer Tra,ining Corps. 

Character and loyalty investigations 141 



THE STORY OF CHICAGO 185 

War Risk Insurance cases 230 

U. S. Bureau of Naturalization cases 3,905 

Draft investigations 30,440 

Food Administration cases. 

Food investigations 12,637 

Sugar investigations^ 179 

Fuel Administration cases. 

Coal investigations 3,263 

Lightless Night investigations 1,500 

Total investigations^ 99,175 

Number of men temporarily detained for examination 
of Registration and Classification Cards during the 

Slacker Drive of July, 1918 200,000 

Delinquents apprehended and forced to appear at 

local Draft Boards 44,167 

Deserters apprehended and sent to Military Camps . . 1,900 
Record compiled for the U. S. Marshal for Alien Ene- 
mies; number of entries 18,000 

Escaped criminals apprehended and turned over to 

Police Department 38 

Blue Slip Summons issued. 726 

Automobile license numbers registered on first Gasless 

Sunday 129,204 

Photographs, maps, postal cards of views of Germany 

sent to War Department 9,525 

But it is from the notebooks of the operatives, recording 
varied activities all in the day's work, that we get the 
real reflex of the A. P. L. We cannot forego giving a 
few extracts from the stories of Chicago captains. 

Let us take at random the summary from S — , cap- 
tain of District No. 11, where there were fifty-six members 
— forty active operatives, under a captain, two lieutenants 
and a legal advisor. This district covers a large portion 
of the most German section of Chicago, part of which is 
loyal and part very much otherwise. In six months, dur- 
ing the last year of the war, there were 512 cases assigned 
to the district by headquarters, and the district turned 

lA direct result of the sug-ar investigations was the saving of 
millions of pounds of sugar, and the donation to the American Red 
Cross of thousands of dollars by violators. 

2 In addition to the above, hundreds of jewelry store investigations 
were made for the purpose of obtaining information regarding 
alleged price discrimination against soldiers and sailors; also, 
hundreds of investigations of tailors, clothing stores and department 
stores in the interest of Army uniform regulations. 



186 THE WEB 

in to headquarters 298 complaints. Character and loyalty 
investigations to the number of fifty-three were made, 
necessitating from five to fifteen interviews each. In the 
slacker drive, July 11-13, a total of 1,744 individual cases 
were interviewed and disposed of in this district. Between 
9 :00 p. m. and 4 :00 a. m. one night, eighty-one I. W. W. 
investigations were handled. 

The total number of cases on record in this district for 
the six months is 3,842, which, if averaged, gives sixty- 
eight cases to each operative, but as only forty were active, 
the average should be figured as nearly eighty cases per 
capita. There is not figured in the foregoing about one 
thousand interviews which were necessary in making up 
reports to different departments of the Government on 
factories, saloons, garages and other buildings and struc- 
tures, which might come under the head of miscellaneous 
services. 

The activities of the operatives of District No. 11 were 
not confined to the boundaries of their own district. An 
illustration will show what is meant. A deserter was being 
protected by all branches of his family. Operatives spent 
nights interviewing every ascertainable relative and friend. 
Nothing could be learned except that the various members 
of the family, male and female, were so mixed in their sex 
relations that apparently no two of the opposite sex were 
living together in a legally permissible way. A chance 
lead pointed to a couple living in the country ten miles 
beyond the city limits. An hour's interview with the man 
and his consort, the two being examined separately, 
resulted) in the chance mention of Norfolk, Virginia. Being 
pressed on this remark, the man hesitatingly declared he 
had had letters from Norfolk from the suspect who was 
working there and that he, the witness, would himself 
write to Norfolk at once and get definite information. 
The operatives agreed cheerfully to the proposition. On 
their return to the city, a telegram was immediately dis- 
patched to Norfolk. By the time the letter from the 
* * loyal ' ' relative reached Norfolk, word was received that 
the deserter was located and taken into custody. The 
action of this little drama was staged entirely outside of 
District No. 11. 



THE STORY OF CHICAGO 187 

During the " heatless days " two operatives from the 
same district entered a saloon. They found it warm, the 
heat coming from a large radiator in the middle of the 
room covered by a table. The proprietor claimed he was 
unable to shut off this heat without shutting off the heat 
from rooms above where he had lodgers. The operatives 
went to the cellar and found no attempt had been made 
to shut off the heat from the saloon. Returning to the 
saloon, they investigated a back room, which was also 
heated, and where they found four men playing cards. 
The proprietor claimed these men were his lodgers and 
that this was their sitting-room. A search was madie and 
evidence found which proved these men to be conducting 
a regular clearing-house of information for the enemy's 
use. Leads were discovered that spread in many direc- 
tions and made the case one of the most important handled 
by the District. A camouflaged saloon radiator was the 
starting point. 

Each operative discovered that the badge he wore bred 
a feeling of respect or fear for the authority of Uncle 
Sam which was quite marked:. Seldom was an attempt 
made to dispute its meaning or to take exception to the 
request or direction made under its authority. The most 
desperate characters showed a meekness and a docility 
that was surprising. The only explanation reasonable is 
that the United States has from the start of the war shown 
the world and its own people that it meant business, and 
that in playing with the authorized agencies of the Gov- 
ernment, criminals were not playing with politicians or 
officials who might be influenced, but with the newly and 
sternly roused) sense of American loyalty which would 
brook no traitor or near-traitor under the Star and Stripes. 

District No. 13 had an interesting case handled by Lieu- 
tenant McR and Operative L . They searched 

the room occupied by the suspect and found two handbags 
and several suit-eases filled with clothing and some chem- 
icals. They interviewed the subject. His registration card 
gave his serial and order number, and djraft board status 
which was Class No. 5 Austrian. The operatives went back 
to report this to the Inspector, and upon returning found 
that the subject, his wife and sister had fled. By calling 



188 THE WEB 

upon the different taxicab companies in the neighborhood, 
it was found that they had used a yellow taxicab to move 
their effects to an apartment several miles distant. A raid 
was immediately organized. Four men and two detective 
sergeants went to the new address, and the apartment was 
surrounded. One of the men saw a figure which appeared 
to be a woman, attempting to cross the area between the 
two buildings from one third story window to another, 
and he called to her to stop. One of the men inside the 
building, hearing the call, put his head out and found 
the subject on the window sill of the adjoining building 
in a very embarrassing position. It was not a woman, 
but the suspect, in woman's clothes! He was hauled in 
and put under arrest. In the meantime an analysis of 
the chemicals ha-d been made and they were found to con- 
sist of materials for the manufacture of enough explosives 
to blow out another end of the postoffice building. Infor- 
mation was received from the League at New York to the 
effect that he was a very dangerous enemy alien. 

This same District landed another good caSe. One morn- 
ing a traveling man heard a little girl say to a small boy 
playmate, ** We have a fine piano in our flat," and the 
boy finally answered, ** That's nothing, we've got a Ger- 
man spy in ours. ' ' The traveling man turned a complaint 
in to the Department of Justice and in due course it came 
back to our district to be investigated. The operative had 
little to start with. Finally he asked a little girl if she 
had ever heard any boy make such a remark. By merest 
chance, she happened to be one of the children who had 
overheard the boy, and at once pointed out where he lived. 
The operative then went to the apartment and questioned 
the boy's mother, telling her that he was getting a list of 
boarding-houses in that district for directory purposes and, 
of course, asking her the names and occupations of all 
lodgers. He noticed that one of the names was German 
and after he had finished his list he asked her if he might 
see the accommodations. When he reached the German's 
room, he saw a trunk of foreign make. He opened it and 
found lying inside on top of the clothing a cartridge belt 
filled with loaded cartridges. This he noticed had seen 
much use and was worn smooth. He also found papers. 



THE STORY OF CHICAGO 189 

drawings, a Lueger pistol and several other things which 
an alien enemy is not supposed to enjoy during war times. 
The landlady stated that the man was a draftsman in the 
Fedieral Building. It was subsequently found that the 
drawings were plans of the Municipal Pier and the I'ed- 
eral Building. About five o'clock the next morning, sev- 
eral Federal officers took the man down to the Bureau of 
Investigation and found that he was an enemy alien in 
the employ of the German Government. Within twenty- 
four hours he was on his way to Leavenworth under an 
order of internment. 

Women are not enlisted in espionage work for M. I. D. 
and were not employed as operatives in the Chicago A. P. 
L. — with one exception. Many a suspect has found * ' Mrs. 
B " fatally easy to look at and listen to — even easy to 
talk too much to ! 

Here is a ** Mrs. B " case. The subject, Miss W , 

during the year 1912, met a Mr. and Mrs. M , Amer- 
icans, who were in Paris with their two children, a boy 

ten and a girr twelve. Miss W • told them a story 

of having quarrele-d with her family, who were quite 
wealthy, and said she was seeking a position that would 
bring her to America. She produced unquestionable ref- 
erences, and returned with the M family to the 

United States. After remaining in their employ for six 

months, she took a course in nursing in B Hospital 

in Indianapolis. She graduated from this nospital, came 
to Chicago with letters of introduction from the faculty, 
and became engaged here as governess in the home of a 
wealthy family on Lake Shore Drive. In April, 1917, she' 
applied to the Chicago Telephone Company for a position, 
asking to be sent to France in their next unit. She told 
a confusing story in reference to her age, brought about 
a suspicion, which was followed by an investigation. 

** Mrs. B." was given the assignment. Miss W gave 

up her position as governess, took a room on the north 
side of Chicago near Wilson Avenue. She was closely 
shadowed night and day, and was found to be in continual 
communication with doctors and nurses. During the time 
she was waiting to hear from the Chicago Telephone Com- 
pany in reference to the application she had filed, she also 



190 THE WEB 

filed an application with the American Red Cross. Here 
she gave practically the same references, and told the 
same story. Investigators from the American Red Cross 
were advised by the Department of Justice that they drop 
their investigation for the time being. ** Mrs. B " proved 
that this woman was the medium through which tetanus 
germs were being delivered to certain doctors and nurses, 
who in turn were to spreadi them through our cantonments 
and hospitals. 

District No. 8 lies in the extreme southern part of Chi- 
cago. " The Grold Coast " of this territory, lying along 
" The Ridge," is a strictly residential district, but a 
veritable melting-pot of foreigners has sprung up in the 
neighborhood of the mammoth factories and mills in the 
suburban towns of Kensington, "West Pullman, Roseland, 
Riverdale and South Chicago proper, east of the Southern 
Division Gold Coast. In this modern Babel there are fifty 
or sixty different nationalities. Even a short season with 
such a racial hodige-podge as exists in and around Ken- 
sington is almost equivalent to a trip around the world. 
Practically the only work in this community (Districts 
41 and 47) consisted of draft evasions and pro-Germans. 
The last named were kindly but positively reminded that 
our country was at war. The operatives in this Gold 
Coast district were practically all business men, being 
recruited from banks, business houses, schools and the 
ministry. It was no uncommon thing to have two min- 
isters, one of them a leading " dry exponent," go out 
with a squad of men through saloons and pool-rooms, 
picking up suspects and evadiers. During the four-day 
raid in July, one of the captains working out of Draft 
Board No. 22 remarked: " I just sent out the vice-presi- 
dent of our bank. I commanded him to look up one of 
these draft cases and he went right to it without question. 
That man holds the mortgage on my home, and I am boss- 
ing him around as though he were my office boy! " 

Another captain tells something more of this foreign 
part of the city, Districts 39, 40, 42, 46 of the South Divi- 
sion. This comprises the large territory on the lake, at 
the extreme southern end of the city, and has in it a large 
harbor and river which is lined with elevators, shipyards, 



THE STORY OF CHICAGO igi 

and important steel industries of all kinds. The popula- 
tion is mostly of foreign origin, anything from a descendant 
of the Pilgrim Fathers to a Tartar from Siberia. Poles, 
Austrians, Serbs, Swedes, Germans and Italians predomi- 
nate, and many of the A. P. L. operatives were recruited 
from this source, thereby giving access to all tongues. This 
division captain says: 

The magnitude of the shipping and the enormous steel in- 
dustries, together with a population of from ten to twenty 
thousand aliens, has rightly given this district the reputation 
of being one of the most difficult in Chicago. Thousands of 
these people speak no English, and are living here under for- 
eign customs. Two local draft boards are in this district, 19 
and 20, and naturally many cases of draft evasion were found. 
After the first general registration, we were called upon to in- 
vestigate about 1,200 cases under this head, a large percentage 
of them being cases of men who were really willing to comply 
with the regulations, but who had been badly advised by their 
more erudite countrymen. As we always have a large "float- 
ing population," we naturally experienced much trouble in 
tracing this class. 

That small things often lead to large affairs, we discovered 
many times. One night a Pole came home, went over to the 
side of the room, took a large crucifix from the wall, broke it 
across his knee, and told his wife who stared at him big-eyed 

with horror, that that thing was no good any more 

and that he had no place for it. The woman, who like most 
of her nationality, was intensely religious, was quick to see 
that her man was not drunk, and was shrewd enough to deter- 
mine to find the cause of his action. On quizzing him, she 
found he had joined a new Polish Church which taught many 
new things, so she asked if she could not go to that church. 
He took her there, and she learned of the notorious Pastor 
Russell and his teachings, heard the doctrines of non-resistance 
preached, and learned of a service to be held to persuade young 
men never to fight or shed blood under any circumstances. 
She reported what she learned, and made such a positive and 
specific affidavit, that we resolved to see how much truth it 
contained. So, when we discovered that services were being 
held in their church, and that the congregation contained a 
great many young men of draft age, evidently Poles, we took 
a chance and called the wagon. 

We arrested the entire congregation during the services, 
confiscated copies of "The Finished Mystery," a proscribed 



192 THE WEB 

book, and practically moved the contents of the church to the 
police station. Here we found much seditious literature, and 
obtained statements from many of the congregation, which 
were sufficient to cause quite a stir. At present, seven of the 
leaders of this church from Brooklyn are sojourning at Fort 
Leavenworth. We feel, here in southern Chicago, that the 
breaking of that crucifix led to a nation-wide investigation 
of a dangerous propaganda. 

This same captain, in closing Ms report, makes the fol- 
lowing observation: 

Some of the striking phases of this work are the real friend- 
ships engendered by our associations with each other. Here 
the measure of a man is his loyalty and sincerity, his judg- 
ment, his grit, and his personal sacrifice. When you can find 
as many real and true Americans as this organization con- 
tains, you need never have worries as to whether this country 
is going to be safe. 

Central District of Chicago is that important region cov- 
ering the great business district, out of which some four 
hundred men, under four captains, regularly worked all 
over the city. This is not one of the residence districts, 
so that the squad of operatives who reported to this 
branch were far scattered throughout the city for most of 
the twenty-four hours. The personnel of this district 
embraced lawyers, doctors, bankers, printers, dry goods 
merchants, insurance men, mechanics, railway trainmen, 
traveling salesmen, actors, and all kinds of employed per- 
sons. A great many members belonged to the prominent 
clubs of Chicago. There were interpreters who understood 
all of the continental languages. There were both rich 
men and poor men included in this membership. There 
were boys in the twenties and men of sixty-five. It had 
come to be the practice of all the interlocking branches of 
our Governmental defensive organizations to call up Cen- 
tral District for men needed on some particular work. It 
had been the headquarters squad, and had sent men all 
over Northern Illinois, and sometimes out of the State. 

There was a school of instruction for new operatives in 
this district in which new men are taught the elements 
of the League work, the elements of espionage laws, and 



THE STORY OF CHICAGO 193 

other war measures. They were instructed, also, in the 
fundamentals of shadow work ; the details of the selective 
service regulations ; the principles of law and evidence, and 
other subjects proper to the activities of the League. 
There were seven words taught to every operative, apply- 
ing equally well to complaints and to reports — guide 
words in investigations. If these seven words were borne 
in mind at the time of making complaint or investigations, 
or in writing up the report, an operative would be fairly 
well assured of embodying the information djesired. These 
words are: ''Who," "Which," ''What," "Why," 
" When," " How," and " Witnesses." 

Every care was exercised by the operative not to 
approach the subject himself or to allow him to know 
he was being investigated. There were countless Chicago 
Germans and pro-Germans investigated, ticketed, tabu- 
lated, and filed away, who to this day do not know that 
they ever told anybody anything about themselves. Many 
of these Prussianized Chicagoans to-day wear heavy frowns 
and look aggrieved. 

In order to save his time, each operative was taught 
how to use the regular city channels of information. If 
he got a name without any address, he was taught to go 
to the nearest telephone directory or city directory. Some- 
times a telephone number was known and the name of the 
party unknown. Reference to the numerical telephone 
directory sometimes covered this. Sometimes the business 
of the subject might be known and his address unknown, 
in which case it might be found by reference to the classi- 
fied business telephone directory, or the city directory. A 
subject might be doing business in the city and living in 
the suburbs. Countless suburban telephone directories were 
always in the central office for such reference. 

In every great city a directory gives a concise arrange- 
ment of the personnel of the various diepartments of the 
U. S. Government; state and federal officials, their titles, 
their room numbers, their buildings, can be found in this 
way. In this way, also, all the officers of the city govern- 
ment can be found; the rooms where the court of this or 
that judge are located, etc. The state offices, including 
hospitals, etc., can be found in these directories. 



194 THE WEB 

A wide range of useful information concerning the city 
and its environs was given to novitiate operatives in this 
Central District. This information was of incalculable 
benefit to new members of the League when once their 
active investigating work began. The A, P. L. training 
school was a very important cog in the Chicago machine, 
and made it possible for the district to do more work per 
capita and better work than would otherwise have been 
possible. Indeedi, the training for an operative was not 
bad training for a newspaper reporter. What is said 
regarding this work in the Chicago district might apply 
in very considerable part also to the work in other large 
communities. 

Operatives were obliged to take all sorts of roles. At 
times they acted as waiters or clerks, and sometimes they 
impersonated lawbreakers themselves. One of them suc- 
ceeded in impersonating an I. W. W. so well that at a 
meeting he was covering he was asked to contribute to 
the I. W. W. cause — and did so ! Another ingratiated 
himself into the good offices of the I. W. W.'s so well that 
he was permitted to take notes at one of their meetings 
with the undierstanding that he was a newspaper man 
representing one of their own papers. 

The Southwest Division in Chicago is only another cor- 
ner of darkest Europe. In this section, however, were 
located a good many foreign-born operatives, who affiliated 
well in that region and did their work thoroughly until 
the closing days of the war. Their grist included some 
curious and interesting cases. 

There was, for instance, a certain person called Panco, 
the Fry Cook, long wanted by the Department of Justice 
for anarchistic and seditious utterances. The Department 
had been hunting Panco for months but could not find 
him. Four Southwest A. P. L. operatives went after Panco. 
Two of them became members in a waiters' union in which 
Panco was known to belong. They could not find, their 
man, who did not seem to report often at the headquarters 
of that union ; so they gave out reports everywhere that 
Panco was a dead beat and would not pay his union dues I 
This came to Panco 's ears. He showed up at headquarters, 
to deny this impeachment. He got thirty years. 



THE STORY OF CHICAGO 195 

A Lithuanian lecturer was described as about to deliver 
a seditious harangue in the village of Cicero, near Chicago. 
The Southwest Division sent out several motor cars with 
picked men ready for trouble. They found a hall erowdjed 
with foreigners who were listening to a much bewhiskered 
man, clad in shabby tweeds, who was demonstrating at a 
blackboard on a platform, and was speaking in some 
unknown tongue. At last one of the operatives who had 
been taken along as an interpreter began to laugh and 
said, ' * Let 's go home, fellows ; we 've got the old bird 
wrong. He ain't talking anarchy; he's giving a lecture on 
sex control! " 

An unusual amount of shrewdness should be credited 
to some of these operatives. It was a mere guess, for 
instance, on the part of such a man that the figure " 8 " 
— the final figure on a foreign birth certificate — had been 
changed] to a " 5." If this were true, it meant that the 
suspect would come within the draft age, although other- 
wise his story was perfectly straight. Suspicion is not 
evidence, so the Department of Justice was about to release 
this man. The latter had remarked to someone that his 
father lived in Indiana. The operative went to the phone 
and pretended to call up the father in this town personally, 
with the intention of inducing the suspect to eavesdrop 
on the phone conversation in the next room. After a 
while the operative turned to the suspect, his hand over 
the receiver, and said : ' ' Well, we 've got the information 
we wanted. What have you got to say? " Completely 
fooled, the suspect confessed! He was inducted into the 
army. 

A certain colored draft dodger was discovered to belong 
to a staff of colored waiters in a certain hotel. The head 
waiter, very pompous and very shiny, refused to allow a 
search. The A. P. L. declared that if the suspect was not 
forthcoming he would arrest every waiter in the place and 
carry them off in the wagon. This brought out the sus- 
pect. He's in the Army now. 

A certain Mrs. L^ called the Red Cross a bunch of 

grafters and crooks, said Ambassador Gerard was a traitor 
and a liar, said the President was the greatest traitor since 
Jefferson Davis and made other interesting remarks. She 



196 THE WEB 

repeated these statements before a U. S. Marshal and was 
held in $5,000 bond. Then she became more abusive and 
was held in $5,000 additional. She kept on until her bond 
amounted to $25,000, and was then asked if she did not 
think it was time to stop talking. She did. As she could 
not raise the bail, she was sent to Cook County jail, where 
she remained till the Armistice was signed. 

Chicago at times handled other live stock than that 
commonly seen in the stockyards. On August 5, 1918, 
the sixth enemy alien special to Fort Oglethorpe carried 
fifteen persons for internment. The train was to pick up 
eight more at Indianapolis. On the following day, it seems, 
the Chicago Symphony Orchestra had seven members who 
groaned while they were playing the Star Spangled Ban- 
ner, They explained their frame of min-d before a judge, 
who taught them very much better manners. On August 

7, Lieutenant Friederick Walter S of the German 

army, who for a month had worn a United States uniform 
at Camp Grant, had his naturalization papers revoked, and 
got interned for the period of the war. On September 1, 
among ten aliens shipped to Fort Oglethorpe, one was a 
munition manufacturer who had been just at the point of 
receiving a very fat United States order. He had been 
filling contracts for Germany before we went to war. 

On November 17, 1918, the radicals and socialists of 
Chicago held a great meeting in the Coliseum. There 
were about 12,000 present. It is not necessary to go into 
details regarding their action beyond saying that they gave 
over the Chicago Socialist party, body and breeches, to 
Bolshevism. Here in Chicago, one of our centers of the 
civilization of America, these men declared themselves in 
sympathy with Russian anarchy. In America, the land of 
hope, they declared themselves in sympathy with hope- 
lessness, despair and destruction. Some of the speeches 
were made in the German language — a tongue which we 
ought to forbid to be used in public, on our streets, in our 
printed pages, and over our telephone wires to-day. These 
speakers, in the Hun tongue, openly deplored contribu- 
tions to our War funds. They liailed with much applause 
such speakers as Victor Berger, who publicly gloried in 
the four indictments pending over him. In short, the 



THE STORY OF CHICAGO 197 

meeting came dangerously close to being disloyal. We 
shall be so mild as this in comment, since being a member 
of the Socialist party is not per s& a disloyal act, and ^ot 
all Socialists are of the radical wing. 

Much pleased with the sound of their own voices, these 
gentlemen now concluded to hold a public street parade, 
with red banners andi the usual Bolshevist appurtenances. 
They went to Acting Chief of Police Alcock, and asked for 
a permit to parade in the streets. They said they wanted 
to carry the red flag, and they asked police protection. 
Note the reply the Chief of Police made to them: 

My friends, I won't give you police protection at all, nor 
try to do so. Do you know wliat you are up against? There 
are 12,000 A. P. L. men in this village who are opposed to this 
sort of thing, and my men don't want to get in wrong with 
any 12,000 A. P. L. men. We work with those people and not 
against them. They work with us and not against us. Be- 
lieve me, the best thing you folks can do is to cut out the 
parade. 

The representatives of the proposed parade could not 
get back to their headquarters fast enough. They cut out 
the parade. 

As late as November 21, Chicago was still running enemy 
alien specials for Fort Oglethorpe. This consignment 
included a cook, also a Highland Park riding master who 
had) been over-curious in regard to matters adjacent to 
Fort Sheridan. Twenty others were to be picked up later 
down the line — all after the Armistice had been signed. 

On November 23, Fred I , said to resemble the 

Crown Prince very much in his personal appearance, was 
fined five thousand dollars, whether for seditious utter- 
ances or for his resemblance to the Crown Prince does not 
appear, and is immaterial. Either would be enough. 

On November 26, nine men were given free transporta- 
tion from Chicago to Fort Leavenworth. One of these was 
a Dunkard preacher who got ten years for saying, ** I'd 
kill a man rather than buy a Liberty bond." He will have 
time to think that proposition over. 

These straws will show well which way the wind blew 
in Chicago for the last year or so. Much to the disap- 



198 THE WEB 

pointment of the Kaiser andi one or two mayors, Chicago 
seems to be but very imperfectly Germanized after all. 
As for setting down the full tale of the A. P. L. activities 
in this city, it would be a thing impossible of accomplish- 
ment. The world knows how Chicago does the things she 
considers proper to have done. The American Protective 
League in Chicago worked in the well-known and well- 
accredited Chicago way. To thank the men who did this 
work, or even to mention their names, would cheapen them 
and their work. They did not ask thanks. They were 
Americans and were citizens. 



CHAPTER II 

THE STORY OF NEW YORK 

The Focus of German International Espionage — Center 
of Foreign Population — The Great Plots — Governmental 
Concentration — How the A. P. L. Web Helped Collect 
Traitors — Details of the Organization — A Metropolis 
Loved by a Country. 

The great American metropolis was the storm-eenter of 
America in the war. The heart of the great and intricate 
system of German espionage, the controlling financial body 
of Germany's spy army, was there; the treacherous diplo- 
macy of Germany centered there. Moreover, our shipments 
of m.en, munitions and supplies largely centered there, and 
that was the general point of departure of our troops bound 
overseas. Naturally, therefore, our Government concen- 
trated in and around this danger spot its strongest pro- 
tective measures for our troops and their supplies. Lit- 
erally, it was plot and counterplot in New York ; war and 
counter war; espionage and counter espionage. 

Such a story as that cannot be covered by the printed 
page. No volume can describe New York's part in the 
war, for that man does not live who knows or ever will 
know all that went on in New York in war time. New 
York herself never will know how she was endangered 
and how she was protected. 

Until war broke out, New York was much like London. 
Grown indifferent to her vast foreign element, she was 
disposed to let these people meet and march, preach and 
pray and then go home again, red flag and all. No great 
world city can have a homogeneous population, nor can 
any such population be governed as a whole. New York 
accepted the fact that she was one of the centers of the 
world's transient life. Her entire business prosperity is 
built up on the transient trade. With an amused indiffer- 

199 



200 THE) WEB 

ence, New York allowed her visitors to meet an-d march, 
preach and pray, amuse themselves so long as they liked, 
so long as they paid for their privilege of passing through. 
She had long since ceased to analyze her population, but 
has entertained it instead, regarding it with neither fear, 
shame, pride nor alarm. She was truly a metropolis. 

But when war came, New York realized that she was 
not only a metropolis but a commercial center and a place 
where human beings lived. She had tall buildings. A 
brick shot off the top of the Woolworth Building would 
certainly jar a man below if it fell upon him; and the 
Woolworth or other buildings might easily be hit by naval 
guns of a hostile fleet lying comfortably off shore. The 
funk of New York andj other eastern cities was never felt 
at all in the central portion of the country. When the 
submarines began to show what they could do, New York 
awoke to a sense of real danger. She faced the fact that, 
although she was foreign in population, she must become 
American if America was to endure. Then New York 
turned her face no longer toward Europe, but toward 
America and since that time has been more beloved by 
America than ever she was before. 

It was imperative that the vast protective agencies of 
the national Government should focus here at the gateway 
to the Atlantic. Military Intelligence, Naval Intelligence, 
Cable Censorship, Mail Censorship, the Department of Jus- 
tice, War Trade Intelligence — each of these and all the 
various war boards and branches of war activities must 
center in the metropolis inevitably. The machinery for 
protecting the invaluable shipping of men and munitions 
was as elaborate and perfect as the Government could 
make it. Every force was rushed to the -danger line in 
New York. 

In so complicated and overburdened a series of Govern- 
ment enterprises it early became obvious that there was 
need for an auxiliary such as the American Protective 
League. The organization was duly made and / widely 
extended. It was natural none the less that it should be 
very much overshadowed by the greater volume and 
greater importance of the agencies of the Government's 
judicial and war work, which were massed in the great 



THE STORY OF NEW YORK 201 

city. But the A. P. L. was there, active as elsewhere, and 
perhaps more useful than in any other city in the country, 
because it had to do there with larger risks than offered in 
any other city. 

In the period of its work in New York up to the time 
of the Armistice, the A. P. L. division was thought to 
have covered some 300,000 cases in all, which is far and 
away the record for America. Such figures as these mean, 
of course, that to single out any one case or a few cases 
would be only to repeat cases the like of which already 
have been described for other points; and besides, it would 
not in any sense give an idea of the extent of the data 
handed over to the United States departments on A. P. L. 
initiative or on government request. It seems wiser to let 
the great national or international cases, which have be- 
come publicly prominent through Government activity, 
stand for the minor story of New York. 

These causes celebres have in great part been made pub- 
lic in the newspapers, — and in a great many instances made 
yet more "public by the testimony of the witnesses of the 
Federal Attorneys before the Overman Senate Committee 
in Washington. It certainly could be said of the great 
city that she produced more sensations in espionage than 
all the rest of the country combined. A. P. L. was not con- 
cerned in all these matters, although in some of them it 
played its part. 

The first chief of the New York Division was a lawyer, 
John H. Hendrick, who had charge of the small beginnings 
in April, 1917, but who in the following month, was suc- 
ceeded by Richmond Levering, special agent of the Depart- 
ment of Justice. Mr. Bielaski, Chief of the U. S. Bureau 
of Investigation, approved this appointment, Mr. Levering 
later becoming Major in the U. S. Army. In early June, 
Mr. E. S. Underbill, an Agent of the Department of Jus- 
tice, was detailed to take charge. The work now began 
to grow somewhat. In October, 1917, League affairs were 
placed in the hands of an operating committee. On Janu- 
ary 3, 1918, the committee was abolished, and Mr. E. H. 
Rushmore was appointed Acting Chief. In May, 1918, Mr. 
Rushmore became Chief of the Division. 

New York Division, like others, at first was organized 



202 THE WEB 

along trade lines, which was found to be impracticable. 
Then the Southern and Eastern Fe-deral Districts of New 
York were divided into zones. The Borough of Manhattan 
contained eight zones, each under an inspector. The Bor- 
ough of the Bronx Avas placed in charge of a deputy chief, 
and was divided into nine sub-divisions. The Borough of 
Brooklyn and Long Island was also in charge of a deputy 
chief, and subdivided into eight districts, each in charge 
of an inspector. The outlying districts were formed into 
zones, using county lines as boundaries, and each of these 
zones also was under the charge of an inspector. All the 
inspectors appointed a sufficient number of captains, who 
had under them lieutenants in charge of squads. 

It will be seen that this is rather a complicated organiza- 
tion, and indeed it could not be swung as a unit in the 
matter of its records, because of the diverse reporting sys- 
tem require-d. 

The work of the Division Headquarters on Nassau Street 
was efficiently handled by twenty volunteer members who 
acted as Bureau Chiefs in the matter of assignment of work. 
Headquarters had about fifty file clerks and stenographers 
in its force, and in addition operated six zone 'offices, 
all of which were used exclusively for these zone workers, 
and all of them fully equipped with office facilities and 
help. The Division expended something over $75,000, all 
of which was raised by in-dividual subscriptions of mem- 
bers of the League and their friends. 

A. P. L. in New York had all sorts of cases. Chief Rush- 
more thinks about the most important was that concerned 

with A. L , intimate friend of Jeremiah O'Leary, on 

trial for treason. This case was turned over to the League 
by Division Superintendent DeWoody of D. J., who asked 
the covering of all railroad stations, ferries and steamship 
lines or other possible means of entry into New York in 

or-der that L might be apprehended. A rather 

meagre description of the suspect was given. Information 

had reached the Department that L had left New 

York when O'Leary forfeited his trial bond and did not 

appear in court for trial on charge of treason. L 

was thought to be on his way back to New York. A. P. L. 
put out about one hundred operatives on this case, and 



THE STORY OF NEW YORK 203 

stopped hundreds of passengers who might have resembled 
him and asked them to identify themselves. This came to 
nothing. Other operatives interviewed the man's wife and 

were convinced L was in town. An operative of 

A, P. L., accompanied by a D. J. man, therefore shadowed 

one of L 's intimate friends, with the result that 

L himself finally was locate-d in Brooklyn and appre- 
hended. He was taken to the New York office of the De- 
partment of Justice and there gave information as to 
O'Leary's whereabouts. The latter man, who had jumped 
his bail bond, was immediately apprehended in the West 
and brought on to New York, where, at the last writing, 
he was waiting trial on the charge of treason. 

The A. P. L. shadow work in the foregoing case was so 
good as to elicit a letter of praise from D. J. in "Washing- 
ton to Mr, DeWoody. The latter disclaimed the credit and 
gave it to the A. P. L. operative "who performed a re- 
markable feat in a continued and difficult shadow." 

The Division Chief himself writes something regarding 
a matter which has brought up considerable other writing 
at different times from many different sources. 

The story of the much discussed slacker raid in New York 
is known to every one, but we might give some details. In 
August, 1918, Mr. Bielaski, in Washington, advised the Na- 
tional Directors of A. P. L. that he was anxious to conduct a 
New York slacker raid similar to that in Chicago. The Na- 
tional Directors conferred with Mr. De Woody, the D. J. Agent 
in New York, who talked the matter over with Martin Conboy, 
Director of the Draft for New York City. The National Di- 
rectors also went to the New York Division of A. P. L. and 
left a tentative plan based upon the Chicago arrangement, 
which was submitted to Mr. DeWoody, who, later, with these 
others, worked out a plan for the raid which was to come off 
on September 3, 4 and 5. 

Arrangements were made to obtain the Sixty-ninth Regi- 
ment Armory in New York and the Twenty-third Regiment 
Armory in Brooklyn, and about 1,000 sailors and 750 soldiers 
from posts in New York City were obtained for assistance in 
the raids. Two American Protective League operatives were 
detailed to each of the one hundred and eighty-nine local 
boards in New York, and two to each police station. There 
were seventy-five operatives on duty in the Armories in New 



204 THE WEB 

York and about fifty in Brooklyn. There were ten special 
agents of D, J. in Brooklyn and twenty in New York. Mr. 
DeWoody prepared printed instructions to be used by tbe sail- 
ors, soldiers and A. P. L. operatives in tbe work. 

The system used on tbe streets was to interrogate a man, 
and ask for bis registration card and bis final classification 
card. If be had none, be was taken to tbe nearest police sta- 
tion, where be was questioned further by tbe operatives In 
charge, and if thought to be a delinquent, was then sent by a 
motor car to the armory to be held. From that point his local 
board was communicated with by telephone or telegraph, and 
the true status of the man obtained at the earliest possible 
moment. In these raids, there were apprehended 21,402 men, 
of whom 756 were inducted into tbe service. There were 
found 2,485 men who were delinquents from their local boards. 

Up till December 11, 1918, there were 45,150 filed cases 
of a general nature in the New York Division: 3,610 civil 
service case, 2,920 passport vises, 471 passport cases, 
2,507 overseas investigations, 2,539 investigations of offi- 
cers' commissions, and 29,680 cases connected with selec- 
tive service matters. This makes a total of 86,877 cases. 

It is to be noted that the above numbers apply to folder 
numbers only, and many folders contain more than one 
case, some of them as high as 250 cases. For instance, the 
investigations of a jury panel would be carried all in one 
folder under the name of the trial on which that jury was 
to sit. The figures in selective service matters are the 
actual number of cases turned over to the League at the 
time they started work with the various local boards. 
Subsequent to this date the A. P. L. officers in charge of 
the work at the various boards were given thousands of 
cases which they reported directly to the board, there 
being no file in the office in such instances. The A. P. L. 
Chief of New York therefore thinks it a very conservative 
estimate to say that the number of individuals investigated 
by the New York Division would run between 300,000 and 
400,000. All these cases in the New York office system 
were filed alphabetically under the name of the person or 
firm to be investigated; for that reason definite figures 
could not be given in any summary. As League operatives 
became better acquainted with the Chairmen of the Draft 
Boards, more and more cases would be turned in directly 



THE STORY OF NEW YORK 205 

to the Local Boards, wliicli left the files incomplete also in 
cases of this character. 

On Long Island, near New York, there were several large 
military camps, including Camp Mills and Camp Upton, 
and several aviation fields. The A. P. L. zone inspectors 
in charge of Nassan and Suffolk Counties, together with 
the Deputy Chief, in charge of Long Island, cooperated 
closely with the Intelligence officers of these camps. 
A. P. L. quite often was of assistance in locating deserters 
from these camps, it being the usual thing for an officer 
to telegraph A. P. L. to pick up the pursuit. 

A. P. L. also investigated a great many cases for the 
camp authorities at Camp Wadsworth, Spartanburg, South 
Carolina, because this camp was occupied for some time 
by the New York National Guard. Sometimes the League 
would be asked to investigate the statement of a man who 
wanted a furlough because his family in New York was 
sick. A great many fraudulent requests of this kind were 
discovered. The War Department detaile-d a special officer 
to handle cases of deception of this character, and A. P. L. 
turned over to him a great deal of information of this 
nature as well as many reports which had come in to 
A. P. L. of the sale of liquor to men in uniform. Captain 
Peiffer, the officer in charge of this work, at one time inves- 
tigated some thirty hotels in New York City. For more 
than two weeks these hotels were covered by A. P. L, 
operators. This officer had a lieutenant detailed to watch 
liquor and vice matters on Long Island, who made his 
headquarters at Hempsteadj. A. P. L. officers cooperated 
with this lieutenant in every way and gave him much assist- 
ance in closing up saloons and hotels that came within the 
five mile limit of the various camps. 

Military Intelligence Division, of the General Staff, sent 
a great many character and loyalty investigations of over- 
seas cases, officers' investigation cases and a large variety 
of cases of special investigation of both positive and nega- 
tive nature, to A. P. L. in New York. A separate depart- 
ment was established in New York headquarters exclu- 
sively to handle the cases coming to New York Military 
Intelligence in Washington. Within the seven months 
ending December 11, 1918, the New York office received 



206 * THE WEB 

5,046 cases of the types above mentioned. Perhaps a man 
going overseas would give from one to ten references, say 
an average of four references to each case, which would 
mean the interviewing of more than 20,000 individuals at 
the request of the "War Department in Washington. The 
men who did this work did not get a cent for it. The 
territory covered by the Division extends from Pough- 
keepsie, New York, to Montauk Point, Long Island, a dis- 
tance of about 200 miles. The cases would be scattered 
all over this territory, and very often the same case would 
require two or more investigators. 

Beside all of these rather heavy duties in connection with 
the big government work, A. P. L. had daily requests from 
the Intelligence Office at Governor's Island, the Port of 
Embarkation at Hoboken, and the various other Intelli- 
gence Offices in and around New York City. Every pos- 
sible assistance was rendered these various officers. It was 
impossible to classify all of this work in the files, so that 
the entire number is not available. 

As the perfectly interlocking system of intelligence of 
the A. P. L. in the great city became known, the agents of 
the Department of Justice and the officers of the various 
Military Intelligence services got in the habit of calling 
on headquarters at A. P. L. for all sorts of information. 
Quite often they would call regarding some case which 
needed looking into at a town a long distance away. The 
name of an A. P. L. division at that ppint would be given, 
and the case turned over to the latter by telegraph. Thus 
it is easy to see that the web of New York, expanded into 
the web of A. P. L. all over America, was of almost incal- 
culable benefit to all of the U. S. Departments concerned 
in any way with the war. 

The New York office has conducted some part of the 
investigation of almost every alien enemy that has been 
interned in that part of the country. Just how much value 
the work of the League has had in these various intern- 
ment cases, it is difficult to tell. Department of Justice 
has sometimes been rather haughty and lofty in regard to 
its humljler auxiliary. When New York A. P. L. has 
inquired of D. J. as to the outcome of a certain case, some- 
times the answer would be that ' ' proper action will be taken 



THE STORY OF NEW YORK 207 

in due time," the inference being that D. J. did not want 
to be bothered by questions. A like vagueness quite often 
enshrouded cases turned over to Military Intelligence. 
A. P. L. might investigate fifty men for commissions and 
never know even whether any of them got a commission. 

The offices of the United States Attorneys in both the 
Southern and Eastern districts of New York were greatly 
overworked, and had a very inadjequate staff of assistants. 
It was necessary, in many instances, for A. P. L. to take 
cases that should have gone to a Federal Court, before 
some local magistrate on a disorderly conduct charge. 

In brief, the story of A. P. L. in New York City is very 
satisfying indeed. How fortunate for Military Intelligence, 
the Draft Boards, the Department of Justice and other 
war branches that they had an A. P. L. to help them out, 
and to do that for nothing! Had this not been the case, 
it is not too much to say that these branches of our war 
activities would also have broken down as so lamentably 
djid other portions of our war work — ordnance, equip- 
ment, airplane work, etc., all of which suffered from not 
having a quarter million of men at hand to do the work 
for nothing and do it right. The truth about this war 
never has been known and never will be printed. A lot 
of it lies in the files of the A. P. L. 

In the course of the last ten months, according to the 
Military Intelligence Bureau, New York Division probably 
had more investigations entrusted to it than would in peace 
times be made throughout the entire country. Since the 
A. P. L. men were of the highest type, with all the advan- 
tage of education and wide experience, their ready adapta- 
bility can be taken for granted. But even with the high 
average of ability of the League officers and operatives, 
the notably fine record of the New York Division would 
not have been possible had there not been a most thorough 
and up-to-date business system. And such was actually 
the case. 

A full series of blanks, the use of special cover sheets, 
of different colors, and the employment of case covers cor- 
responding to the cover sheets, so simplified the filing sys- 
tem and the record of the case itself as to save a great 
deal of time and) eliminate a great many mistakes. For 



208 THE WEB 

instance, the case card would be buff in a case of a *' com- 
mission" investigation, green in an "overseas" investiga- 
tion and pink for special cases. The card is kept clipped 
to its cover sheet until a case is assigned. When it has 
been assigned, notation is made on the card and cover 
sheet, and the individual record card of the man to whom 
assigned. The case is then sent to the operative, and the 
case card filedi alphabetically under his name in the **out" 
box. A separate record card is maintained for each inves- 
tigator or district officer. It is thus possible to locate a 
case at once, by looking up a name of the subject in the 
''out" box of case cards, and to locate what cases are in 
the hands of any investigator by looking up his record 
card. An equally thorough system was employed in the 
handling of reports as they came in. 

Without a most efficient system for transacting the busi- 
ness of the League, the most hopeless confusion must have 
obtained among that seething mass of conflicting human 
activities. Mere bulk of paper is an incomprehensible 
thing, and no one who has not seen the masses of reports 
coming in, even to the minor offices of the League, can 
understand what the handling of the tJiree million A. P. L. 
investigations really meant in office work alone. 

The Army is divided into the Staff and the Line ; other- 
wise, the Office and the Field. A similar division may be 
made in the American Protective. League. The men han- 
dling the records in the central office are more or less 
unhonored and unsung. Upon the other hand, the opera- 
tive who puts on false eyebrows and a beard and goes out 
to stalk a suspect is apt to seem far more the heroic figure, 
although what he really is doing is no more than getting 
something for the office to file. Neither branch of the 
activity ought to be overlooked. 

The New York A. P. L. conducted investigations for the 
Department of Justice under three heads ; the State Depart- 
ment under two heads; the War Department under five 
heads ; and also the Navy Department, the Alien Property 
Custodian, the Civil Service Commission, the War Trade 
Board and the U. S. Shipping Board, as well as th^ Treas- 
ury Department under three different heads. 

When one pauses to reflect on these different classifica- 

/ 



THE STORY OF NEW YORK 209 

tions of the work and the different ramifications of the 
League's operative forces, one is pretty nearly ready to 
admit that without a perfect office system the whole thing 
wouLd have been jolly well messed up inside of a week. 
This amateur organization sprang into being almost over 
night, a smooth-working, modern business machine, which 
rendered invaluable services at no cost at all. When you 
stop to think of it, this is one of the most wonderful phe- 
.nomena of American business life. 

The total membership of officers and operatives in the 
New York Division numbered over four thousand five hun- 
dred substantial business and professional men, chosen 
from every field of activity. They were classified and re- 
classified to such an extent that, from speaking any 
required language on earth to expert knowledge in any 
profession on earth, aid could be furnished on -demand. 
Two significant facts stand out in comparing New York 
with other cities. The first, the rather smaller number of 
men; the second, the rather small amount of money spent 
in the work. It is due to the excellent business system of 
that division that the cost per case was kept so low, for 
New York runs more cases to the operative, and more to 
the member, than any other city in the country. 



CHAPTER III 

THE STORY OF PHILADELPHIA 

Splendid Record of a Ship-Shape Office — A Model Organi- 
zation and the Way it Worked — Stories of the Silent Sol- 
diers — A Banner Report. 

The City of Brotherly Love gives us pause. Is it indeed 
the truth that Americans do not know their own country? 
The story of the American Protective League, covering 
some millions of typewritten words, some hundreds of 
thousands of pages of typewritten copy, might be called 
one of the largest and one of the best histories of America 
ever written. It offers no pretense at deductions, but only 
an abundance of facts, objective andi not subjective, con- 
crete and not abstract. Popular impression hath it that 
the city founded by good William Penn is a simple and 
quiet sort of community, where life goes on lawfully and 
all is ease and comfort, peace and content. The facts do 
not seem to bear out this supposition. Philadelphia was 
as lawless as the next city during war times, possessed of 
as many undesirables and offering as many urgent prob- 
lems in national defense. Tucson, Arizona, reports peace. 
Philadelphia is bad and borderish ! 

Among the many hundreds of reports coming in during 
the closing days of the American Protective League, there 
are some which run forty, fifty, or seventy-five pages of 
single space type. A very few of such reports would make 
a book the size of this one in hand. It has been, let it be 
repeated, with a most genuine regret that such work had 
to be condensed by the press. The Philadelphia report, for 
instance, covers ninety pages, and is an absolute model in 
every way. Indeed, a visit to the Philadelphia A. P. L. 
offices woul-d have left any visitor certain of the high level 
of efficiency which has been attained by that division in 
every phase of its work. There was not a neater, better- 

210 



THE STORY OF PHILADELPHIA 211 

systematized or smoother-running division in all the League 
than that in bad and borderish Philadelphia. The installa- 
tion in that city was not so large as some. A Swiss watch 
is not so large as a Big Ben clock, but the latter does not 
keep any better time and makes much more noise about it. 
It being impossible to print all of the Philadelphia re- 
port, it is quite in order to give rather a full summary of 
it, that we may correct the old impression regarding Phila- 
delphia as a place of peace. The tabulated records cover 
only eleven months, from December 26, 1917, to November, 
1918. In that period, 18,275 persons were examined, not 
counting those who were released in the big slacker raids. 
In order that the lay reader may have a perfect idea of 
the many different heads of activity in any one of these 
great offices, the Philadelphia table is offered in full, pre- 
cisely as sent in: 



Department of Justice Cases. 
Alien Enemy Activities. 

a. Male 1,575 

b. Female 177 1,752 

Citizen disloyalties and sedition. 

(Espionage Act) 880 

Treason 1 

Sabotage, bombs, dynamite, defective manufacture of 

war material 78 

Anti-Military activity, interference with draft, etc ... 91 

Propaganda. 

a. Word of mouth 509 

b. Printed matter and publications 75 584 

Radical organizations. 
I. W. W., Peoples' Council, League of Humanity, and 
all other radical organizations, including pacifist 

and radical "socialists" 377 

Bribery, graft, theft, and embezzlement 66 

Miscellaneous, including naturalization and jury 

panel 350 

Impersonation of U. S. or foreign officers 21 371 



212 THE WEB 

War Department Cases. 

Counter-Espionage for Military Intelligence. 
Selective Service Regulations. 

a. Under local and district boards 5,384 

(All individual investigations of delin- 
quents and deserters and of those charged 
with any violation of selective service regu- 
lations.) 

b. In Slacker raids 3,726 

c. Of local and district board members 47 

d. Work or fight order 18 9,175 

Character and Loyalty. 

a. Civilian applicants for oversea service 1,013 

b. Applicants for Commissions 61 1,074 

Training camp activities 6 

(Under Sections 12 and 13 of Selective Service 
Law Regulations, p. 355.) 

a. Liquor 587 

b. Vice and prostitution 860 1,453 

Camp desertions and absences without leave 175 

Collection of foreign maps and photographs for Mili- 
tary Intelligence Bureau — Pieces of matter (about) 1,500 

Navy Department. 

Counter-espionage for Naval Intelligence, in- 
cluding: 

Wireless 42 

Lights 9 

Other signalling to submarines, etc 7 58 

Food Administration. 

Hoarding 33 

Destruction 1 

Waste 21 

Profiteering 6 61 

Fuel Administration. 

Hoarding 25 

Destruction 

Waste 20 

Profiteering 5 50 



THE STORY OF PHILADELPHIA 213 

Department of State. 

Vise of Passport 6 

Miscellaneous 1 7 

Treasury Department. 

War Risk Insurance Allotments, Allowances, 

Frauds, etc 53 

Miscellaneous 2 55 

United States Shipping Board. 

Under National Headquarters Bulletins Nos. 

11 and 12 26 

Federal Investigation. 

Hog Island 407 

Miscellaneous 33 

The beginnings of the A. P. L. in Philadelphia lay in 
a meeting of fifty business men, who came together April 
9, 1917, and organized as the Philadelphia Branch of the 
A. P. L. From that time on, varying fortunes and different 
personnel attended the League activities. On December 
26, 1917, Mr. Mahlon R. Kline, who for years had been in 
charge of the Claim Department of the Philadelphia Rapid 
Transit Company and had been engaged in secret service 
work in other corporations, was appointed Chief of the divi- 
sion. In February, 1918, there came in with Mr. Kline, 
Mr. Frank H. G-askill, formerly Superintendent of the 
Franklin Detective Agency, who also had been associated 
with the Claims Department of the Rapid Transit Com- 
pany, Although no pretense is made of naming all their 
associates, it should be mentioned that to these two men 
must be accorded a great dieal of the credit for the last 
year's work. 

Naturally the question of finances came in early. In 
January, 1918, Mr, Horace A, Beale, Jr., president of an 
iron company, volunteered to purchase any furniture and 
office equipment which might be necessary. This brought 
out the need of a permanent fund, and Mr. Beale was one 
of the League's staunchest supporters along these lines. 
There was put before the members of the Chamber of 
Commerce a plant protection system which has been in 



214 THE WEB 

practice in many American cities. Factory owners paid 
into the treasury of the League twenty-five to one hundred 
dollars a month, which, for a time, covered the running 
expenses of the office even in its growing condition. When 
this income became inadequate, Mr. Kline with the Execu- 
tive Committee later arranged for an expense account 
through the War Chest Fund of $3,000 a month. 

There was a handy little cabinet made up by the Bureau 
Chief in charge of slackers and deserters, which contained 
the following card index information: Names, addresses 
and telephone numbers of members to be counted on at 
any hour ; names of members taking assignments in the sev- 
eral districts; names of members willing to accept assign- 
ments in any section. This cabinet contains the address and 
telephone numbers of all members owning yachts, motor 
cars, etc. ; also a record of members speaking the following 
languages: German, French, Italian, Spanish, Yiddish, 
Hungarian, Swedish, Russian, Dutch, Pennsylvania Dutch, 
Danish, Portuguese, Chinese, Polish, Greek, Esperanto, Lap- 
landish, Korean, Japanese, Austrian, Slavish and Latin. 

The League in Philadelphia did not attempt secrecy. 
On the contrary, it openly availed itself of the services of 
the newspapers, and had the confident backing of all the 
great journals. It did not always go out after its man 
personally, but saved a great deal of time by inventing a 
little form letter which read as follows : 

Mr. John Doe: 

Kindly call at this office immediately upon receipt of this 
letter with reference to a matter of great importance. Bring 
this letter with you and ask for Mr. Bouton. 

Respectfully, 

American Protective League. 

This was the letter sent out to draft evaders. It was 
thought at first it would not work, but, as a matter of fact, 
it brought in a stream of men who otherwise would have 
needed to be found. Once in the office, the rest was easy. 

At the time that Mr. Kline came into the League there 
were 1,225 members. Additional members were selected 
with great care, but politics, religion, lodge affiliations, and 
so forth, were not factors in the working of the League. 



THE STORY OF PHILADELPHIA 215 

There were on February 7, 1919, 3,440 members of the 
A. P. L. in Philadelphia, all working for purely patriotic 
motives. , 

The training of operatives under the skilled secret serv- 
ice instruction available in the division offices resulted in 
losing a good many men to the Department of Justice 
forces, who were not slow to recognize the value of good, 
well-trained men when they saw them. There were many 
departments of the United States Government which lie 
under deep debt to-day to the Philadelphia office of the 
American Protective League. 

The Philadelphia work was perhaps most famous through 
its great system of drives. That city is indeed the original 
drive center, and there, better than anywhere else, per- 
haps, may be seen the working of a thoroughly differen- 
tiated system of drag-nets. There were a number of these 
raids which may be summarized briefly. 

The first was a small affair conducted on May 17, 1918, 
which took in a couple of roadhouses where uniformed 
men were buying liquor. 

The second raid was conducted on July 15, 1918, when 
about 2,000 members swooped down on the Tenderloin 
district of Chester, Pennsylvania, arresting about four hun- 
dred persons, mostly of the lowest type. About ninety 
per cent of these prisoners were convicted for bootlegging 
or crimes of a worse character — denisons of the section 
known as Bethel Court and Leiper's Flat, which the officers 
call the worst hell-holes they have ever seen — "such 
places as make the Mexican border look like a Sunday 
School picnic," says one. In this tough district many des- 
perate characters were met who were quick to use 
weapons ; but the agents of the law sustained practically 
no personal injuries. 

Other raids followed, the sixth taking place on August 
2, 1918, at Woodside Park, an amusement place which 
was filled with slackers. Two hundred A. P. L. members 
and agents of D. J. surrounded the place and handled in 
all 2,000 men, out of which more than three hundred were 
detained. 

The seventh raid was August 6, 1918 — the great slacker 
raid on Shibe Park, at the time when there was a crowd 



216 THE WEB 

of 8,000 men gathered to witness the Jack Thompson-Sam ' 
Langford prize fight. There were twenty agents of D. J., 
two hundred A. P. L. members and one hundred Phila- 
delphia police. They examined over 2,000 men between 
the ages of twenty-one and thirty-two, and held one hun- 
dred and forty-one as deserters or evaders. 

The eighth raid, August 15, 1918, was set at Atlantic 
City, N, J., and is considered the da-ddy of them all. At 
that time four pleasure piers were raided, and more than 
60,000 men, women and children were handled without 
commotion. Preparations for this raid were left to Mr. 
Gaskill, since he had done so well with other raids. In 
the call for the assembly the members did not know where 
they were going — they got sealed directions. At 10 :00 
P. M. sharp, the entrance an-d exit guards took up posi- 
tions and refused to allow any males to leave the pier 
without showing classification cards, if within draft age. 
The other squads of from fifty to seventy-five men were 
instructed to proceed to the ocean end of the pier, form 
a solid line and sweep all men within the above mentioned 
ages, found without papers, to a point at the board walk 
end of the pier where they were detained until the work 
had been completed, after which they were transferred to 
the armory for further examination. There were about 
seven hun-dred men apprehended in that raid and sixty 
real slackers. It was an all-night job, the members from 
Philadelphia arriving home about seven o'clock as quietly 
as they had slipped out of town. 

On November 6, 1918, the Olympia Athletic Club was 
raided, and out of the 8,000 men who had gathered to 
witnessed the Dempsey-Levinsky prize fight, more than 
1,000 were detained, thirty-six of which proved real draft 
evaders. This bunch of fight fans was handled by one 
hundred and twenty-five A. P. L. members, forty police, 
and twelve agents of the Department of Justice. 

The signing of the armistice on the eleventh of Novem- 
ber ended the slacker raids, but having its hand well 
skilled by this time, the A. P. L. went on with- vice raids 
and) picked up a great many people who had not complied 
with the draft laws. On November 20, 1918, Chester, Pa., 
was again raided and an additional forty-two prisoners 



THE STORY OF PHILADELPHIA 217 

apprehended. The next three days were put in with Ten- 
derloin raids for bootleggers, of whom sixty were sentenced 
to nine months' imprisonment. 

It is probable that the Philadelphia division has worked 
out the raid matter as exactly as any other division of the 
country. The Chief had a carefully-drawn diagram or map 
made, showing the system by which the men were stationed. 
It is a good instance of the Web of the Law. The chart shows 
fifteen squads of men traveling north and south, east and 
west, in a systematic covering of a bootleg territory 10 by 15 
squares. Therefore, one squad travels north on one street 
and south on another street, while the squad working on 
opposite sides to them travels east and then west in the 
same manner. This makes it absolutely impossible for an 
offender to operate without an agent seeing him. It was 
often noticed that a bootlegger approaching a uniformed 
man would be almost instantly surrounded by one or two 
or even three squads who closed in to make the arrest. 
Philadelphia had the hunting of the bootlegger down to a 
fine point. 

Mr. Todd Daniel, Superintendent of the Department of 
Justice for Philadelphia, has always been an ardent ad- 
mirer of the A. P. L. In return, the League has supplied 
him on request with fifty to one hundred motor cars each 
month, and investigated as many as 1,000 cases which his 
staff would have been unable to handle. No wonder he 
admires them. 

Surveillance such as this kept property damages in and 
around this great industrial center at a minimum. The 
Eddystone Munition Plant explosion occurred previous to 
the organization of the League. The Woodbury Bag Load- 
ing Plant, Woodbury, N. J., was so well covered that 
although a great many attempts to cause explosions and 
set fires were made with bombs and inflammable materials, 
they all failed of their purpose. No one can tell how much 
property loss was averted through the work of the Phila- 
delphia division. It would be invidious to quote any, and 
hopeless to quote all, of the many letters of approval re- 
ceived from persons high in Government, political and 
commercial circles, complimenting the division upon its 
efficiency. 



218 THE WEB 

Needless to say, Philadelphia had her own share of 
causes ceiebres. One of the most unique and interesting 
of these was that of the Philadelphia Tagehlatt, a German 
daily newspaper prosecuted under the charge of se-ditious 
and disloyal utterances. In the fall of 1917, a raid was 
conducted by D. J. and A. P. L. upon the headquarters 
of this paper, at which time many files, books, papers, and 
so forth, were seized, with the result that warrants were 
issued for the editor and all his staff. "When they were 
called for trial, members of the division were again used 
for the purpose of investigating the jury panel, as well as 
for the procurement of evidence essential to the case. In 
one item, this work took the form of securing through 
banking members, proofs of certain signatures without 
which the Grovernment 's case would have been crippled. 

These men were tried for treason, but were discharged 
for lack of evidence. They were subsequently prosecuted 
under a charge of conspiracy to hinder voluntary enroll- 
ment and for violation of the Espionage Act. On the latter 
charge, they were found guilty. Louis Werner, the editor, 
and his associate, Martin Darkow, got five years' imprison- 
ment each, Herman Lemke two years, Peter Shaefer and 
Paul Vogel, one year each. 

The Tagehlatt had been warned often against its 
unseemly utterances, but to no avail. It was a sheet of 
no great consequence, and about fifteen years ago was 
anarchistile. Then it turned to Socialism. When war was 
declared, it was outspoken against the Allies. After the 
declaration it became more cautious, but its columns were 
full of propaganda. It had no telegraph or cable service, 
but its policy was dictated by the selective choice of its 
editorial staff. Louis Werner was a naturalized citizen 
born in Germany. Darkow was a non-registered alien 
enemy and wrote the editorials. The president was Peter 
Shaefer, the treasurer Paul Vogel, and the business man- 
ager Herman Lemke. The trial for treason lasted only 
ten days. The second trial, for conspiracy, was more suc- 
cessful from the viewpoint of the law. Upon the stand, 
both Werner and Darkow were insolent. They will have 
time to think over all these matters in quiet for a while. 

Red Cross frauds attracted some attention on the part 



THE STORY OF PHILADELPHIA 219 

of the League in Philadelphia, which investigated all sorts 
of fanciful rumors, as well as several schemes of fraudu- 
lent or nearly fraudulent or unworthy nature. One of 
these, purporting to collect for a central hospital, seemed 
at first to have merit; but when advertisements appeared 
offering solicitors a highly lucrative connection, the A. P. L. 
agents discovered that this was for the purpose of raising 
about $1,500,000 — out of which a commission of twenty 
per cent was to be paid to the solicitors. A halt was called 
on this, but the same people got busy again about three 
months later with a campaign purporting to collect 
$1,000,000 for the care of "crippled negro soldiers." 
There was a fund of about $10,000 which had been con- 
tributed by colored persons. Some of the people connected 
with this movement were well-meaning and absolutely dis- 
interested; yet in the background were others who ap- 
peared to be out for the coin. The campaign was closed 
down again. This is but a sample of other affairs of the 
same sort. 

One of the notable Philadelphia affairs was that of Nor- 
man T. W : , scholar, patent attorney, chess expert 

and draft evader. This case originated in Washington 
where he failed to appear for examination or to turn in 
a questionnaire. He asked to have his examination trans- 
ferred to Philadelphia, so the whole matter was transferred 

to Philadelphia. On July 15, W was mailed his 

order for induction into the service and was told to report 
July 24, but he did not appear. Philadelphia A. P. L. 
then took on the matter. 

W was the son of respectable Philadelphia parents 

and of good connections. Without doubt, he and his 
brother were shielded by their relatives and friends as 
long as possible. On November 8, the Philadelphia Division 

of the A. P. L, wired Washington stating that W had 

been apprehended. On November 16, 1918, he was sent to 
Camp Dix. 

The public has some notion of the great plant for ship 
construction erected at Hog Island, near Philadelphia, by 
the United States Shipping Board. All sorts of stories 
came out regarding affairs at this shipping yard, and the 
charges were so direct and well-supported that Congress 



220 THE WEB 

finally investigated the matter. The Philadelphia Division 
of the A. P. L. had some part in this investigation, which 
had to do with charges of extravagance, graft and waste 
of public moneys. There was one item, the employment 
of thousands of jitney drivers, which was severely criti- 
cised. These cars were employed by the Emergency Fleet 
Corporation to transport their workmen from their homes 
to the Island, since it was thought the regular transporta- 
tion lines could not handle them. The charge was made 
that large amounts were collected by the jitney men from 
the Shipping Yard without rendering any service; the 
shipping yards, in turn, charged these amounts back to 
the Government. There were thousands of reports turned 
in by the operatives to D. J. on these ''jitney cases." It 
was found that a good many men in authority were in 
the habit of ordering the drivers, after they had brought 
them down to the Shipping Yard, to go back home and 
place themselves at the diisposal of the members of the 
families of the foremen or officers — the G-overnment thus 
supporting a large number of private automobiles for sal- 
aried persons. The entire matter quieted down when the 
increased cost of tires and gas deprived the jitney drivers 
of their profits, and when competition came on through 
the installation of better service and equipment by the 
Philadelphia Eapid Transit Company. 

There was no branch of the A. P. L. activities in Phila- 
delphia so carefully handled as that having to do with 
the I. W. W. andj other radical organizations. There were 
five Locals found and fifty-one revolutionary clubs with 
a total membership of 5,000, ninety per cent of whom were 
of foreign birth, absolutely opposed to all government and 
ever ready to overthrow law by revolutionary tactics. 

The A. P. L. made a raid upon one club solely for the 
purpose of seizing literature and files. As a result of this, 
fifty I. W. W. agitators were dismissed from shipping 
yards and government plants. Some of these were in the 
Government Bag Loading Plant at Woodbury, in the ship- 
ping yard at Bristol, and in the Emergency Fleet Corpora- 
tion at Hog Island. All these Philadelphia radicals con- 
tributed heavily to the defense fuiid of the I. W, W. mem- 
bers who were on trial in Chicago. 



THE STORY OF PHILADELPHIA 221 

It was thought desirable to find any possible connection 
of German interest with these radicals. At one meeting 
the discovery was made that two men appeared and made 
a contribution to the foregoing defense fund. They came 
from a Fairmount German singing society — where they 
sang anything but American patriotic airs. The League 
kept close watch on all these radical organizations, so close 
that they have not dared to make any outright break. 
The slightest step out of the proper path would mean an 
immediate reckoning with men who have been rather stern 
in matters of justice. 

After the TagehlaU case, which was the first case in the 
entire country resulting in a conviction under the indict- 
ments which were brought against Werner and his asso- 
ciates, the Grover BergdoU case of mysterious disappear- 
ance is perhaps Philadelphia's greatest contribution to 
detective literature. Indeed, there is still chance for a 
good detective in Philadelphia who can give bond for the 
production of the body of Grover C. Bergdoll, college 
athlete, wealthy young man-about-town, skillful mechani- 
cian, student of law, X-ray experimenter, radical editor — 
and draft evader. The Bergdoll brothers, Grover and 
Irwin, are known as the "slackers de luxe." They were 
sons of a wealthy brewer, and having money, it seemed 
to them that they need not respect the law. They had 
shown their contempt for it before the draft reached out 
for them. Grover C. did not register, and Irwin failed to 
file his questionnaire. A. P. L. was set on their trail, but 
the young men had both disappeared. From that time 
until now neither of these men has been apprehended. 
Grover C. Bergdoll was seen in Mexico, was alleged to 
have been in the West on a ranch, was reported to have 
been in Spain, was said to have been seen in Western New 
York, and was reported also to have been in Philadelphia 
twice. Sometimes he would send a card to the newspapers 
just to tantalize the public, or to the officials whom he 
knew to be after him. Well, money is a present friend 
in times of trouble. For a time the Bergdoll mystery will 
remain a mystery. One of these days the life of the Berg- 
doll boys will fail to interest them. One of these days the 
law will lay its hands on them, and they will have to settle 



222 THE WEB 

with, the country which, they have slighted and scorned 
and whose citizenship they do not deserve. 

It may have occurred to readers of these pages that 
there was not enough blood and thunder stuff pulled off 
by the operatives of the A. P. L. It is quite possible that 
the Department of Justice men have had the harder load 
to carry in these more violent affairs, because quite often 
they are obliged to make the actual arrest, on warrants 
un-der evidence obtained by the A. P. L. One Philadelphia 
incident resulted in the killing of the man sought — a 
negro desperado who carried several aliases but was best 
known in the saloon district as "Porto Eico." 

On Friday, November 8, two men of the League, in 
trying to locate a suspect, found two colored men in mili- 
tary uniform whom they followed. These gave up the 
whereabouts of two of their companions who were in a 
certain house. "When found, these men claimed they had 
been drugged and robbed by some colored women there. 
It had been their present plan to wait there in the dtark- 
ness until the women came back and then to kill them. 
The whole scene was in a tough part of town where the 
uniform of the United States does not belong. 

Out of these proceedings the operatives got the address 
of four other men, one of these Porto Rico, who were sup- 
posed to be in the habit of robbing colored soldiers and 
other men in uniform. A certain saloon was visited by 
the operatives, and a few minutes after they appeared, a 
burly negro entered and was accosted as "Porto Rico" by 
the owner. The two operatives were C. H. Keelor of the 
League and Mr. Sprague of the Department of Justice. 
Keelor tapped Porto Rico on the arm an-d asked him for 
his card. The man got into action at once, kicked Keelor 
in the leg and struck Sprague, knocking him down. He 
made a leap to the open and pulled a heavy revolver, 
starting to retreat northeast on Lombard Street. 

Operative Logan was on the opposite side of the street, 
and he now closed in. There was a shot fired, perhaps by 
a friend of Porto Rico. The latter raised his revolver and 
took aim at Sprague. Sprague was armed with a heavy 
holster gun and beat the negro to the shot, killing him 
with a bullet through the heart. Porto Rico fell, his re- 



THE STORY OF PHILADELPHIA 223 

volver dropping from Ms han-d, and such was his vitality 
that for a long time he struggled to reach the gun as it 
lay close by him. Sprague was cleared in court, as he shot 
obviously in self-defense. Charles Seamore, alias John E. 
Manuel, alias Porto Kico, was a notorious gun man. Be- 
side his revolver he carried a razor and a number of 38- 
calibre cartridges. His registration card showed that he 
had registered under a false name. In almost the same 
place a little while later a Philadelphia policeman was shot 
by a negro, who in turn was killed by a lieutenant of the 
police department. 

In May, 1918, Major C. N. Green, U. S. Engineers, came 
into the League Headquarters of the Philadelphia Division 
and said he wanted assistance in organizing secret service 
work for plant protection and that he had been directed 
to the A. P. L. offices. Out of this later grew the connec- 
tion of the A. P. L. with the Woodbury Bag Loading 
Plant. 

At first there were about one hundred buildings on the 
1,800 acres of unfenced land, about two hundred men 
being engaged in guarding the place. An organization 
of proved men had been made, which went directly into 
Government service. Five strikes were settled and no 
serious labor trouble resulted. It seemed marvelous that 
no disaster occurred in this plant. Time and again enemies 
attached time bombs to powder cars on their way to the 
munition plant. These cars were all stopped on an outside 
siding and searched, sometimes as many as thirty in one 
night. One time a bomb was found and two sticks of 
dynamite. A great deal of oily waste was found, which 
was no doubt attached in the hope that it might be set 
afire and so cause destruction of the car. There were two 
hundred and ten arrests made under charge of disorderly 
conduct, and one hundred under charge of trespassing. 
In each of these cases a conviction was secured. About 
two hundred violators of the Selective Service Act were 
put under arrest, and, as has been stated, thirty-five mem- 
bers of the I. W. W. were removed from the premises. 
More than one hundred and ten Austrians and Hungarians 
were discharged, and about two hundred aliens sent to the 
Department of Justice for examination. Over 1,500 inves- 



224 THE WEB 

tigations of suspects were made by tlie League, largely of 
men whose names seemed to proclaim them of German 
extraction. The record of this plant is unique, it probably 
being the only plant that has had so low a record of fires, 
explosions and accidents in all the history of our war work. 

Guards often found people endeavoring to do damage. 
One such man had piled up scrap lumber and rags and 
was touching it off when fired upon by the guard. Two 
other attempts were made to destroy another one of the 
buildings. Not content with protecting the property from 
without, the A. P. L. even protected it from within. 
Charges were made of extravagant prices paid by the 
Government, a fact which strongly indicated graft some- 
where. A corporation had made a bid to furnish boxes at 
$450 each, delivered. This bid was refused. Volunteer 
workers were called on to make these boxes. The work 
was done on Sunday, double time being paid — each man 
receiving $14 a day — and even with such labor charges, 
it was found the boxes could be turned out at $17.25 ! 
This particular expenditure of money was stopped by the 
artless Ordnance Department. One or two chiefs were dis- 
missed on the strength of reports from the A. P. L. of 
inefficiency, graft and irregularities. 

This, then, all too briefly and lamely done in review, is 
the story of Philadelphia, which operated one of the very 
best amateur detective agencies the world has ever seen 
and which was a credit not only to Philadelphia itself but 
to every operative of the A. P. L. wherever he was located 
in the United States. 

It only remains to say that in the monthly report for 
December, 1918, the Philadelphia Division turns in forty- 
eight bootleggers additional, two hold-up men, and nine 
soldiers absent without leave. It furnished D. J. in that 
month six hundred and forty-five men and sixty-five cars, 
investigated) in that month two hundred and fifty-two draft 
evaders, seven hundred and forty-three cases from D. J. 
and various branches of the A. P. L., and 1,812 office assign- 
ments and "Washington investigations. The Division closed 
the month of December, after the Armistice, going strong, 
with a membership of 3,438. 

On the last day of the year, and after Philadelphia had 



THE STORY OF PHILADELPHIA 225 

^finished all its reports for the year, there was a bomb 
outrage in that city in which lawless persons blew up the 
homes of three citizens. A call to the City Hall brought 
out every available detective and policeman, and houses of 
other prominent men were placed under guard for that 
night. Once more the drag-net was put out to take in 
the lawless and all those of Bolshevik tendencies. The 
outrage was of such a nature that the Philadelphia papers 
carried editorials almost appealing to the American Pro- 
tective League not to disband. Truly it will be missed in 
that city and in many another city of America. In this 
bomb outrage the lives of women and children were endan- 
gered. What are we to think of America for the future 
if at will the superintendent of police, a judge of the court, 
and a president of a chamber of commerce are to have 
their houses blown up as an act of vengeance of wholly 
irresponsible people such as no doubt committed this crime ! 
Early in January, 1919, Mr. Frank H. Gaskill, Assistant 
Chief, was promote-d to be Chief of the Philadelphia Divi- 
sion for its closing days, Mr. Mahlon R. Kline resigning in 
his favor. The demobilization banquet of Philadelphia 
Division A. P. L. was held on the night of February 5, 
1919, and it was as fine and ship-shape as all the other 
activities of the Division. It was hard for these men to 
say good-bye. Indeed, it is quite probable that many of 
the old Philadelphia A. P. L. members will organize, under 
another name, for purposes somewhat similar. 



CHAPTER IV 

THE STORY OF NEWARK 

Big Division of Northern New Jersey — Hot-Bed of Spydom 
and Anarchy — Cases from the Files — Guarding the Gate 
to the 'Sea. 

Northern New Jersey was recognized as one of tlie riski- 
est regions of the United States. Time out of mind, Ameri- 
can readers have noted, with the short-lived American 
anger, the many newspaper tales of Paterson and anarchy, 
of New Jersey and New Thought, of socialistic ranters 
hailing from this or that semi-foreign community, in one 
of the oldest states in the American union, whose battle- 
fields in our first war for freedom are spread on many 
glorious pages of our country's history. The battlefields 
of Jersey are different now, and are not so glorious. Still, 
a few men, as patriotic as those in Revolutionary days, 
have done their best during this war to keep their country 
safe. The work of the Northern New Jersey Division, 
which has been in charge of Mr. W. D. McDermid, as State 
Inspector, is reassuring. 

It is proper to point out that the Northern New Jersey 
Division, being one of the first of the A. P. L. to be organ- 
ized, operated on lines different from those of almost any 
other territory. Its district covers one-half of the state, 
including the vitally important Port of Embarkation. 
Under a single central office, it combined over one hundred 
municipalities, most of which would ordinarily have had a 
separate headquarters organization, but which for local rea- 
sons had all been consolidated in one division. 

There was abundance to do, and there were plenty to 
be watched. There could, for example, be furnished sev- 
eral hundred instances of sabotage in this manufacturing 
district of Northern New Jersey — sabotage either detected 
in advance, or thoroughly investigated afterwards. This 

226 



THE STORY OF NEWARK 227 

was so conunon in the Imndreds of plants in that District 
that it became for the Northern Division, for the most 
part, a matter of routine. A great deal of the work of 
this character ultimately was handled by the Plant Pro- 
tection Division of the War Department. 

In upper New Jersey, as in the State of New York, the 
Governmental departments reached out and rather over- 
shadowed, in glory at least, the patient and less known 
efforts of the A. P. L. Newark frankly complains that 
quite often sufficiently vigorous action was not to be had 
by the officers of the Department of Justice, even after 
full evidence had been handed to it by the A. P. L. Some 
A. P. L. men even go so far as to claim that D. J, would 
not only crab an act, but claim a glory ! Our State Inspec- 
tor voices this in occasional comment: 

In particular reference to two cases of ours, it is a source 
of great disappointment and a great deal of harsh criticism 
that the Department of Justice has seen fit to take the position 
toward our evidence that it has. Their indifference has led us 
to secure a number of clean-cut convictions in state courts 
under local laws. These, of course, have not the scope of 
Federal laws, under which these cases might very much better 
have been prosecuted We feel that in common justice to the 
work of the A. P. L., some such comment as this should be 
made. 

There was abundant fire behind some of these New Jer- 
sey smokes, be sure of that, and many rumors of the class 
commonly pooh-poohed at by M. I. D. and D. J. were made 
good. Three actual samples of powdered glass in food 
were found; two actual cases of Red Cross bandages con- 
taining deleterious substances also were found; there was 
one instance of insidious printed propaganda distributed 
by means of knitted work; and there was a very distinct 
trail of Sinn Feiners working in conjunction with the 
enemy. To these may be added such instances of investiga- 
tion as are given below. 

Mr. X, a minister of the gospel, was very offensive in 
his pacifism. He refused permission for the display of an 
American flag in his church, or even a service flag, and 
would not allow the church to be used for Red Cross work. 



228 THE WEB 

He was forced to resign, his particular brand of piety not 
seeming to track with the creed of his congregation. The 
quality of his pacifism may be judge-d from the fact that 
he excused the Germans for their atrocities, saying that 
if France and Belgium had not resisted, there never would 
have been any atrocities ! This man applied for a position 
to go to Prance in Government war work. His application 
was refused. 

It is, of course, well known that the U. S. troops in large 
part sailed from the vicinity of the City of New York, or 
upper New Jersey. Of course, also, all the preparations 
for this war, all of the expense of it, all the time and 
trouble of it, focused exactly on the number of troops we 
actually could get on the way. The utmost secrecy was 
maintained by our Government as to the number of troops, 
the ships that carried them, and the time and place of 
sailing. The mother of a boy on his way to France did 
not know he had sailed until a curt card from the other 
side of the water told her that he was in France. Prac- 
tically all the people of the United States, however, ac- 
cepted this secrecy as a necessary war measure — that 
being obviously and permanently necessarj^ in this war, 
where the risks of the sea included the danger of the 
German submarine. 

Naturally, also, the German spies on this side of the 
water would do everything in their power to learn pre- 
cisely the facts which our Government sought to conceal 
— the number of troops going over, the times of sailings 
of the transports, and so forth. Naturally also, our system 
of espionage — the divisions of Military Intelligence, Naval 
Intelligence, Department of Justice, and the auxiliary work 
of the American Protective League — would do all they 
could to prevent German espionage from attaining its own 
purpose in regard to this knowledge. 

When the Government seized the Port of Embarkation 
at Hoboken, much interest was shown in the former Ham- 
burg-American and North German Lloyd line steamers 
located there. There were numerous rumors that these 
boats were to be blown up by the Germans. Of these, 
the largest was the Vaterland, which was re-christened 
Leviafhan. 



\ 



THE STORY OF NEWARK 229 

All this section, along the Jersey Palisades, near Ho- 
boken, is strong in sympathy for Germany. Nearly all of 
the population is from Germany or of German parentage 
and here was this steamer, the biggest of all the boats, and 
long the pride of the Germans. It was not to be expected 
that the New Jersey Germans would feel pleasant about 
its present status. These local Germans boasted that they 
had been through these boats after our Government took 
them over. They told stories of what the Government was 
doing with them and what they were going to do them- 
selves so that the boats would never sail or never get 
across. The history of other ships which took fire in mid- 
ocean, or were blown up by concealed explosives is referred 
to elsewhere. It always was sufficient to make the sailing 
of any transport a matter of great uneasiness. 

An A. P. L. operative wanted to know what these Ger- 
mans were doing regarding the Leviathan. Of course, the 
boat was supposed to be absolutely guarded against entry 
by any stranger. This man, however, went to the gate 
and asked for the Commandant by nickname. The guard 
supposed he must be a friend of the Commandant, because 
of his familiarity, and naively let him through. The opera- 
tive walkedi up and down the pier wondering how he could 
get on board, for he saw guards at the gangway. There 
was a pile of mailbags on the dock, so the operative stole 
over that way, picked up a mail sack and threw it over his 
shoulder. Near the gangway there was a group of soldiers 
and sailors engaged in an argument. As the operative 
approached, they separated, and he went through. He was 
dressed in civilian clothes, and had on a derby hat, but 
these didi not seem to be suspicious facts. The operative 
walked on up the gangplank unmolested, and roamed all 
over the boat from top to bottom, still carrying the mail- 
bag. Having done what any German could have done in 
the same circumstances, he started out, but near the gang- 
way was stopped by a man who wore a watchman's badge, 
and who spoke with a noticeable German accent. This 
man stopped the operative, who, upon being asked where 
he was going, replied that he was going off the boat. The 
watchman told him to get off in a hurry. He was still 
carrying his U. S. mail sack, which he replaced on the 



230 THE WEB 

pile where he had got it. After that, he strolled out to 
the street again, satisfied that the guard around the 
Leviathan might have been a trifle more airtight. 

As a matter of fact, while the sailing dates of the 
LeviatJian were jealously guarded, bets were made* by 
the Germans on her sailing time out and back. Word 
came to an A. P. L. man that the LeviatJian was going to 
sail at 12:15 the next day. As this came from German 
sources, it seemed a useful thing to have the Government 
alter the sailing hour. The operative in this case strolled 
around in the vicinity of the LeviatJian' s pier and talked 
with sailors, who freely told him the sailing hour. Then, 
in order to mystify the Government officers, the operative 
called up a certain Department and said over the 'phone 
that he was an Intelligence official of the Imperial German 
Navy, and wanted to know if it was true that the 
LeviatJian was to sail at 12 :15 the next day. This caused 
some excitement. The operative then told whom he was, 
explaining that he had got that knowledge himself the pre- 
vious evening. As a result, the sailing hour was changed 
several hours, and the LeviatJian got off safely. 

Again, there were a great many rumors regarding the 
numbers of troops carried by this big transport. We did 
not want Germany to know how many men we really were 
shipping, and we rather thought that no one ever could 
know. An A. P. L. operative was able to make a very 
close guess under rather singular circumstances. Since 
he could have done so, perhaps a German spy might have 
done as much had he an equally sharp wit. 

This instance really started in a practical joke. The 
jokers suggested to a certain young husband, who had to 
sit up late several nights with a crying baby, that he might 
pass the time counting the cars of troop trains which 
passed in front of his house. In all seriousness, the young 
man did do this, checking each car by the bumps it made 
on the railroad frogs. He really counted in this way with 
very fair accuracy the number of cars carrying troops 
for the LeviatJian' s sailing. As everyone knew about how 
many troops were in each car, this operative figured that 
there would be about 12,000 troops. This was reported 
to the Government, but was never checked out, so that 



THE STORY OF NEWARK 231 

A, P. L. still wants to know whetker they were good de- 
tectives or not. 

There was a member of the Division who sold automo- 
bile tires. -A Naval officer came to him to buy a tire, and 
wanted to know if the tire could not get to the boat that 
afternoon. This salesman suggested the next morning at 
noon. The officer innocently said that he would have 
sailed by that time. He also named his boat, the Leviafhan. 
This salesman asked how it would do to have the tire ready 
when the ship came back, and asked how long it would be. 
The officer said sixteen and a half days — which tallied 
with the former LeviatJian record of seventeen days. The 
salesman also learned that the stop at Bordeaux was from 
forty to seventy-two hours. Incidentally, he also learned 
that the boat carried 12,000 troops, had five hundred offi- 
cers and a crew of fifteen hundred. 

This figure of 12,000 troops checks perfectly with the 
A. P. L. estimate made by the baby-carrying member. This 
tire-hunting officer of the boat also toldj a great many 
things which he ought not to have told anyone. He told 
the means used to protect the LeviatJian against U-boats, 
saying that the ship depended mostly on her speed. He 
said the ship drew only forty-two feet of water, so it had 
not been necessary to dredge the channel at Bordeaux. 
The operative then asked the officer how late he could 
receive the tire, and was told about two hours before sail- 
ing. "You can refer to your local newspapers and figure 
on fifteen minutes after the tide begins to go out," he said. 
This, of course, was so that the boat could get the benefit 
of the ebb tide in warping out. 

From these facts, both the Military and Naval Intelli- 
gence were able to stop such leaks of information, and 
stiffened up the guarding of ships and cargo, besides giv- 
ing, in many ways, a far greater degree of protection to 
the task of embarkation. It is thought that the League 
investigations caused recommendation to be made regard- 
ing more secrecy in regard to embarkation. The Armistice 
cut off these matters. Sufficient has been shown here, how- 
ever, to indicate how an enemy might sometimes get infor- 
mation. 

There did not seem to be much to start with in this case 



232 THE WEB 

which originated in Northern New Jersey, nor indeed was 
there much left of the case by the time it was finished. 
Yet the case itself had the makings of quite a big affair. 

A report came in that Otto B , starter for the X. Y. Z. 

Transit Company, was pro-German. Such reports came in 
all the time, so that there were usually fifty or sixty cases 
in the zone. Two days later came in more facts from 
operative C-123. He had gotten pretty thick with Herr 

,B by saying that Germany seemed to be gaining, 

and that this news would please his wife, who was German 

herself. Herr B was much pleased to learn this, 

and went on to unbosom himself. Several such meetings 
enabled C-123 to learn pretty much everything he desired. 

Herr B wanted to do something for the Father- 
land and the Kaiser. He was sure he could do something 
if he hadi some help. The one danger was that, in talking 

to almost anybody, Herr B = — might be talking not to 

a representative of the Kaiser but to some one who would 
report him to the United States Secret Service. Operative 
C-123 agreed with him as to this, and gravely told him he 
ought to be very careful. But he said he knew a man that 
could be trusted, and he would bring him around so that 
they could talk it over, and perhaps the two of them 
could do something for the Kaiser. 

The name of this new man was Sehultz. He had been 
in Mexico organizing the United States Germans who had 
fled) to Mexico. He had been a member of the Dantzig 
Dragoons, and had traveled all through Germany, and his 
experiences in the Army there had gotten him his place 
as German propagandist of Mexico. He was a member of 
the Imperial German Espionage System — and he had his 
"Wilhelmstrasse card to show it. He always carried it 
pinned to his underclothing. It was a great day for Otto, 
the train dispatcher. At last he had some trusted fellow- 
Germans in whom he could confide! He and Sehultz 
talkedi bombs and that sort of thing until midnight. Herr_ 

B told Sehultz: "You can depend on me — I am 

the real stuff — I can get a thousand men back of me 
since I know I have got a man from the German Govern- 
ment here." 



THE STORY OF NEWARK 233 

Talks between these three gentlemen were going on in 
fine shape at the time the Armistice was signed. As a 

matter of fact, Otto B is still flagging trains at the 

old railroad crossing, and the League is recommending his 
prosecution and the revocation of. his citizenship, because 
it certainly had proof of his unfitness to live in the United 
States. It hardly seems necessary to add that ''Schultz" 
was an A. P. L. operative also. His ''credentials" were 
made in the United States and not in Germany, having 
been copied from those captured on a real agent of the 
Kaiser. 

There was another near-case, one which almost becam^e 
a real one, in Northern New Jersey Division, which, at 
the first, looked like scores that had preceded it and scores 

that followed it. It had to do with one K , reported 

rabid against America, although employed in doing essen- 
tial Government work. This might have been a spite case, 
or a case of remarks made before we went into the war, 
or still more possibly something said before the amended 
Espionage Act was passed. However, member C-891 went 
out on the case to see what he could find about K , 

The latter hadj a factory of his own, and when found, 
seemed to be disposed to talk. The operative speaks a 
perfect German, and has a German look. The two got on 
handsomely. The operative was surprised to find that 
K talked so freely and to a stranger. Another mem- 
ber of the League, C-1378, also of German parentage, went 

with C-891 a few days later to visit K again. That 

gentleman was more bitter than ever against America. He 
said, among other things, that if he heard that President 
"Wilson had been shot, he would be so glad that he would 
celebrate it by getting too drunk to see. And there was 
very much more talk of that nature. 

A few days later, K had cause to regret his dis- 
position to talk. He was brought before a United States 
Commissioner on a warrant, and spent a good night in jail 
before he could find bail. The next day, he being a man 
of means, he engaged a lawyer. The Armistice ended these 
activities, as it did so many others. The hearing was held 
on the morning of November 7 — the first news of the 
Armistice, later confirmed. Since that time, A. P. L. of 



234 THE "WEB 

Northern New Jersey has heard nothing about Mr. 

K . With a couple million others, he has been 

allowed to sink back to our citizenship — just as poisonous, 
just as unregenerate, just as little fit to remain in this 
country. It was understood that D. J. laid down a rule 
that testimony secured in conversations such as the fore- 
going was not a basis of prosecution. Perhaps it would 

have been better to wait until Mr. K had really shot 

somebody or blown up a ship or so. 

Of active sympathizers with the enemy, Northern New 
Jersey did not lack. A thousand cases could be given. 
One will serve. In July, 1918, the office learned of sus- 
picious activities on the part of some of these sympathizers. 

A Mr. E was told by Miss Gr , a young woman 

of foreign birth, that the people she lived with had active 
connections with the enemy. Especially was this true in 
the case of one S , who had Central and South Ameri- 
can relations. This latter man was found to be of Ameri- 
can birth and German parentage — which, in a good many 
cases, would leave him German. He had been a traveler, 
and a son of his had been born in Kingston, Jamaica, 
although this son was at present in the U. S. Army. This 

Mr. S was found to be identified with a New York 

concern which had sent him to Jamaica to get the release 
there of a man jailed by the English authorities for alleged 
implication in the coaling of German raiders at sea. That 

did not look any too good for Mr. S of itself. He 

also had in his employ a stenographer whose husband, a 

Mr. W , had been employed in an alleged poisoning 

of the reservoir at Kin gston, Jamaica. 

These things led up to the case of the subject, who will 

be called P . This man had lived with S for 

a time. P came to this country from Germany in 

1907, and applied for his first naturalization papers — 
please note the date — August 1, 1914. He was thirty-five 
years of age, well educated, unmarried, and without de- 
pendents. He had served in the German Army, but was 
not a reservist. In his alien enemy questionnaire, he left 
out the name of one of his previous employers, which was 
found to have been an importing concern with a German 
name, with connections in Kingston, Jamaica, doing busi- 



THE STORY OF NEWARK 235 

ness in Central andi South America. This German concern 
had many different names. Some of its personnel were 
interned at Panama. A member of the concern had been 
interned in the United States for alleged provisioning of 
German raiders at sea. This made the stage set for a 
rather interesting investigation. Operatives discovered 
that the principal men of this concern were at large, 
and were doing business under yet another name. They 

also discovered that this Mr. S was affiliated with 

the work in a downtown office building in New York City. 

During 1912, or earlier, Mr. S ■ had introduced Mr. 

P to the President of an iron and steel concern, who 

took him into employ as Treasurer and gave him a block of 

shares. The alien enemy P seemed to get along 

pretty well for a time, but got in wrong with the firm 
through a transaction which they did not approve. The 
Secretary of the firm was very friendly to the alien enemy 

P . This Secretary was found to be connected by 

marriage with one of the foremost electrical inventors of 
the age, who had been very active in the development of 
devices for our Army and Navy. Observe that this man 
was a particular confidant of the unnaturalized German 
P , formerly of the German Army. 

The original Mr. S , who had acted as a voucher 

for P , had stated that he could get money to the 

enemy, through the "War Department. His father had 
stock in a concern which was taken over by our Alien 

Enemy Custodian. The not very mysterious Mr. P 

removed during June, 1918, leaving New York without 
notifying the Chief of Police, as is required. He was 
located doing business in an office in down-town New York 
City as a broker, although his name was not listed in the 
telephone directory. He was apparently trading under the 
name of L. P. & Company. The A. P. L. has found that 
his mother is living in Germany and is reported to be 

wealthy. P has pretended that he was a traveling 

salesman, which he was not. He endeavored to avoid meet- 
ing people whom he knew while residing in northern New 
Jersey. His residence was located in another state. 

This case also shows how much sometimes may be dis- 
covered by way of a tangled skein, even if no one is shot 



236 THE WEB 

at sunrise. Mr. S was visited at his office by an 

A. P. L. man, who did not make himself known. He was 
very much exercised over the fact that the place of his 
business was known. He requested that his personal and 
business relations should not be linked up together. Mr. 

P is still in business in New York, no doubt waiting 

for the next war. 

Northern New Jersey was the field for many reports of 
mysterious signal lights along the seacoast. Most of these 
stories had small foundation, but at least one of these 
would have come to something had not the Armistice cut 
off the investigation. In this case, operators were some- 
times out for hours watching for the flashlights, and once 
a squad of military reserves lay on watch practically all 
night around a suspect's house. They discovered night 
signaling with a search-light and calcium-light at different 
places over the Northeastern part of Bergen County, and 
there seemed to be evidence of a system of signaling ex- 
tending from the Hudson River in New Jersey, across 
Bergen County up into the Ramapo Mountains and the 
Greenwood Lake district in New York. The observers 
used surveying transits for spotting the lights, and by 
means of this instrument, were able to obtain the angles of 
the lights. These angles were then plotted, and the inter- 
section points gave approximately the location of the light. 
This work resulted in the location of three individuals, 
but at about this time the Armistice ended the signals and 
the apparent necessity for watching them. There had been 
discovered, however, some real foundation for a signal light 
scare in this district. 

Eidgewood had another strange case — a German who 
claimed to be so sick that he could not live long — who 
wanted to go back home in order to die in the dear old 
Fatherland. Medical examination showed that he probably 
would die sometime, but the A. P. L. examination le<i to 
the refusal of his passports, it being believed that he might 
carry something to Germany besides fatal disease. 

Newark, the capital of Northern New Jersey Division, 
had a very baffling pro-German case where it was difficult 
to find anything on which a legal prosecution could be 
brought. The facts were such as resulted in the social 



THE STORY OF NEWARK 237 

ostracism of the family, so that their disloyalty, after all, 
had a certain punishment, although it did not hit the 
crime. H and his wife were members of a Presby- 
terian Church, and were so openly pro-German that every- 
body ceased to have anything to do with them. At a 
luncheon given at the H househol-d the favors dis- 
tributed to a dozen ladies consisted of nice pictures of 
Kaiser Wilhelm. One of the guests then suggested that 
it would be a nice thing to sing the Star Spangled Banner, 

which did not please Mrs. H at all. The head of 

this household was educated in Germany, and married a 
German woman whose relatives were high in the German 
army. They had a daughter who was engaged to an 
American, but the latter broke off the engagement on 

account of the pro-Germanism of the H family. The 

social ostracism really amounted to isolation, so that it was 
impossible to hear of any disloyal utterances which would 
warrant governmental action, nor indeed any utterances 
at all. The town was through with them. 

Northern New Jersey probably has the laziest slacker in 
the world. His name is M , and at one time he re- 
sided in New York. He had an Emergency Fleet classifica- 
tion card, but only worked two or three days out of the 
week and spent most of his time at home in bed. He 
thought he would rather go South where the climate was 
better. He was rated as so lazy that he was shifted from 
one government job to another — and that certainly is 
going some, in view of what is sometimes done in govern- 
ment service. He was so lazy that he used to go to bed 
with his shoes on, and woul-di leave his light burning all 
night because he was too tired to put it out. This champion 
rester carried a registration card, but he had been given 
limited service on account of calloused feet. From the 
description of him, it is difficult to see how his feet got 
calloused ; but at least that is what the report says. 

New Jersey had a very blood-curdling citizen who dwelt 

in Newark under the name of H. B . He carried an 

American name although he was born in Italy about forty- 
two years ago. He came to America thirty years ago, 
when he was a small boy, in order to escape punishment 
for having killed a priest. He never dared to return to 



238 THE WEB 

Italy, but remained an alien in tMs country and an enemy 
to about everything going. He was a very ardent I. W. W. 
man, and declared that there were enough I. W. W. men 
in the Army and outside to blow up the country if they 
liked, — a very good example of the flourishing Bolshevik 

element in America. Mr. B claimed that he had 

stabbed a detective in Providence, E. I., a year or so ago 
during an I. "W. W. celebration; hence he did not like to 
visit Providence either. He told how in another place he 
had cut out a man's intestines, and when asked if the man 
died, remarked: "What in hell do you suppose I am here 
for?" This pleasant gentleman often went to Paterson 
and New York to attend I. W. W. meetings there. He 

hoped that "every soldier the U. S. sent over 

would be blown up by submarines and drowned like rats, 
and that if any did get across, he hoped the Germans 
would choke or shoot them to death." He said he would 
like to get his fingers on President Wilson's throat. It 
was his pleasant practice to tear American flags from the 
coats of persons wearing them. His home was searched, 
and some clock-works were found withotit any dials and 
hands, such as have been known to be used with bombs. 
It seems that nothing was done with the bloodthirsty Mr. 

B after all, and he is still at large. 

In so complex an office as that of the Northern New Jer- 
sey Division, which much resembles that of New York 
City, Newark alone cleared over 9,013 cases, of which 
twenty-five per cent were for the War Department, forty- 
five per cent for the Department of Justice, other divisions 
of A. P. L. work fifteen per cent, and original cases with 
New Jersey A. P. L. fifteen per cent. Most of this work 
was for D. J., but there was much cooperation with officers 
from Naval and Military Intelligence, not to mention the 
local boards. This great division has a tangible record of 
4,563 cases of the second class, those handled entirely in 
local units, making a total of 13,576 cases sufficiently defi- 
nite in character to warrant a record. As to the actual 
investigations, recorded and unrecorded, they would with- 
out question bring up the total of northern New Jersey 
cases above 30,000. They were from every point of the 
compass and of every color of the rainbow. 



CHAPTER V 

THE STORY OF PITTSBURGH 

Another Storm Center — Greatest Concentration of War 
Work in the United States — The Tower of Babel and How 
it was Held Safe — No I. W. W. Need Apply. 

Pittsburgli also was expected to be an alien storm .center 
when the United States declared war upon Germany. This 
uneasiness was natural andj to be expected. Most of our 
great iron and steel plants were located there, and nu- 
merous other important industries as well. These plants 
were vital to our success in the war, as were the great 
coal mines in the adjacent districts. It was felt on every 
side that the enemy would strike here if he struck at all. 
But the main cause for apprehension lay in the fact that 
Pittsburgh had an enormous foreign population, especially 
from countries of the central allies, and the presence of 
this element in its industries was feared as a source of 
dynamite, sabotage and labor troubles. The fact that Pitts- 
burgh and Western Pennsylvania throughout the war re- 
mained practically free from labor disturbances and war 
munition destruction, so troublesome in other sections, 
was due to the splendid intelligence service rendered by 
the American Protective League, in close cooperation with 
the United States Department of Justice and N.aval and 
Military Intelligence Bureaus. The Smoky City sends in 
a very clean report. 

Pittsburgh operated the highest percentage on war work 
of any district in the United States. It filled over sixty- 
five per cent of all the steel contracts placed by the Ord- 
nance Department, in addition to the tremendous output 
of munitions and other war materials for the Entent* 
Allies. It was estimated that the district was runninjr 
from sixty to seventy per cent on war work at the tirr > 

239 



240 THE WEB 

of the Armistice, that at least 5,000 plants, many of them 
mammoth in size, were filling Government orders, and over 
one million employees were engaged in large part in help- 
ing win the war. During the latter part o'f hostilities the 
daily labor shortage was over 16,000. It was vital to the 
United States and to the Entente Allies that the Pittsburgh 
District should be permitted to conduct unmolested its 
great industries of the war, and that this was possible was 
due in a large measure to the American Protective League. 

A few days after the war was declared, John W. Weib- 
ley, a well known Pittsburgh business man, was asked to 
organize a Division of the American Protective League in 
the twenty-seven counties of Western Pennsylvania, com- 
prising the United States "Western Judicial District. Mr. 
Weibley conferred with Mr. Robert S. Judge, Special Agent 
in Charge of the Bureau of Investigation, Department of 
Justice, to learn if the Grovernment was in need of such 
an organization. When assured that it was, Mr. Weibley 
began the formation of a branch for this district. 

Representatives of the railroads and other important 
corporations were called into conference and were asked 
to cooperate, and within an amazingly short time the 
American Protective League had active agents in every 
county, township, city, town and village in the entire 
district. In the ease of Pittsburgh, the operating head- 
quarters, this plan of organization was worke-d out so 
minutely that an active agent representing the League, and 
in constant communication with it, was located in every 
voting precinct, and where there were concentrations of 
the foreign element, these agents were to be found in prac- 
tically every city block. 

Mr. Weibley personally perfected and maintained from 
Pittsburgh this network throughout the District. Mr. 
Ralph B. Montgomery directed the work in Pittsburgh, 
each ward being placed in charge of a captain who reported 
to him, and each captain having his separate lieutenants 
with agents in every election precinct. Mr. Raymond H. 
Allen, assisted by Mr. William S. Masten, directed the 
operation of the intelligence activities in the outlying 
counties. 

Frequent meetings of ward captains and district lieu- 



THE. STORY OF PITTSBURGH 241 

tenants were held to hear suggestions from representa- 
tives of the Government. They were thus kept familiar 
with the latest happenings and knew what precautions to 
take to make their work effective. 

The story of the Pittsburgh Division, as it is related in 
these pages by its Chief, is the story of a program of 
action, thoughtfully conceived, carefully and efficiently 
executed, and successful beyond all expectations. Mr. 
Weibley says in his report: 

A splendid esprit de covins was maintained, as the organiza- 
tion in Pittsburgli was limited to the least possible number in 
membership, and all members were kept busy. Great care was 
used in the selection of the men enrolled, and each applicant 
was subjected to a rigid investigation. If he did not meet the 
requirements, his application was rejected or placed on file to 
provide material for future replacements when urgency de- 
manded it. As a result, the highest interest in the work was 
maintained throughout the war period. 

The Pittsburgh district being the most important manufac- 
turing, munition, fuel and chemical center in the country, was 
largely dependent for its labor upon foreigners, many of whom 
came from countries at war with us. It therefore was impera- 
tive that many of our operatives should be of diverse national- 
ities and able to speak many tongues. As an illustration, it 
was estimated that at the beginning of the war fully fifty per 
cent of the Austrians in the United States were at work in 
vital coal mines, coke works, steel mills and other industrial 
plants within a radius of 50 miles of Pittsburgh. This natur- 
ally made the alien menace a grave one, but so intensive was 
the organization of the League that not an important indus- 
trial operation in the great district was without one or more 
of the League agents as active employes. In fact, intimate 
connection was maintained with every alien gathering or meet- 
ing place, and nothing of moment was planned that the League 
officials were not soon familiar with. In fact, in one of the 
largest industrial concerns, the principal official was chief of 
a league unit, and many of his trusted employes were his active 
associates. 

Pittsburgh industrial concerns, vitally interested in meeting 
the Government's demands for constantly increasing output of 
war material, quickly solved the question of finances, and the 
League had ample funds to meet every requirement. This 
made possible a highly efficient office organization and a suite 
of offices on the fourth floor of the St. Nicholas Building, 



242 THE WEB 

which permitted the Department of Justice and Army and 
Navy Intelligence Bureaus also to locate quarters there, 
giving a compact working organization reaching every branch 
of the service and promoting that Intimate contact and close 
cooperation which assured success. This reciprocal arrange- 
ment was especially effective in the case of the Department of 
Justice, which, under the operation of Mr. Judge, rendered and 
was rendered assistance on all occasions. 

Director Charles B. Prichard, of the Pittsburgh Department 
of Public Safety, recognized the possibilities of effective co- 
operation at the beginning, and there was not a moment when 
the patrolmen and municipal detectives did not do everything 
possible to promote the success of the League's activities. This 
spirit of patriotic cooperation on the part of the municipal 
authorities was constantly maintained through the friendli- 
ness and enthusiasm of Robert J. Alderdice, superintendent 
of police; Magistrate Walter J. Lloyd and Commissioners of 
Police Dye, Kane, Johnson and Calhoun. Pittsburgh certainly 
was well policed. In all, the League maintained constantly 
throughout the trying period over 2,000 active operatives. 

The effectiveness of this far-reaching organization was re- 
vealed in the complete absence of those disturbances which 
had been feared. At the outbreak of war, troops had been 
located at bridges and important public works, but the thor- 
ough manner in which the League ferreted out those who were 
willing to foment trouble soon rendered unnecessary the guard- 
ing of industrial plants by soldiers or police. There were no 
interruptions to the enormous output of munitions and manu- 
factured material, nor were there any accidents, explosions or 
labor troubles traced to agents of the enemy. In the Pitts- 
burgh division alone, over 25,000 cases were investigated, and 
every, person upon whom the least suspicion had been cast 
was soon rendered powerless to do harm. Every effort was 
made to eliminate troubles by preventing alien sympathizers 
from perfecting their plans. No meetings where incendiary 
talk could be fostered were permitted to continue, and it was 
not long before those who had trouble in mind realized that to 
continue their purpose would only lead to their own downfall 
and also that of their followers. The record of the League is 
a tribute to the wisdom of this preventive policy. 

It was feared that because of the large proportion of foreign- 
ers in the Pittsburgh district, the wide diversity of languages 
spoken, and the great illiteracy among certain of the nation- 
alities, there would be great difficulty in securing proper ob- 
servance of the Selective Service registration regulations. 
During the Civil War, there had been serious draft riots in 



THE STORY OF PITTSBURGH 243 

Pittsburgh, when the percentage of foreigners and of illiteracy 
was much less. The American Protective League, in coopera- 
tion with Mr. Judge, gave the widest publicity in every pos- 
sible way to the plans for the registration and the penalty 
for failure to comply. The result of this work of preparation 
was that the registration was effected without disorder, and 
there were no occasions for wholesale arrests to bring evaders 
or possible evaders to justice. In fact, the League's policy 
was to prevent trouble by advising those inclined to resent 
the Government's call, and to make no arrests until other 
means failed. It was only necessary for an American Pro- 
tective League operative to appear in open court on one occa- 
sion. 

I. W. W. propaganda was never permitted to take root. 
Work to eliminate this menace occupied a large amount of 
the League's attention. A well organized scheme of the So- 
cialists to evade the Selective Service Law was broken up 
when a prominent radical and anarchist, a ringleader in the 
movement, was taken from a meeting he was about to address 
and compelled to register. The facts that the plans of the 
scheme were so well known to the League cooled the ardor of 
the malcontents. 

The division had considerable trouble with a Jewish family 
which used every artifice to protect a lad of selective service 
age and prevent his being taken into the army. They finally 
succeeded in spiriting him away, but he was convicted of 
evading the draft, and by pressure on his family, who were 
placed under bond to return him, he was brought back to 
Pittsburgh, sent to jail for six months and then inducted into 
the army. 

A number of Italians, through one of their societies, con- 
ceived a plan to make money by filling in questionnaires to 
enable evasion of selective service. Two ringleaders were 
arrested, and the chief of the society afterward rendered the 
League valuable service in preventing labor disturbances. The 
League also uncovered a scheme of a few unscrupulous lawyers 
to extort money from men on the ground that their advice 
would permit them to evade the law. Arrests were not neces- 
sary, as the warning of the League of the consequences of any 
continuance of the practice was sufficient. 

The League was able to break the backbone of a dangerous 
plan of German propaganda through an international organi- 
zation known as the Geneva Association, whose members were 
principally alien enemies. The officers were arrested and 
placed under bond for trial. 

One very dangerous draft evader and conscientious objector 



244 THE WEB 

was arrested and court-martialed after considerable trouble. 
He was Walter L. Hirschberg, a student at the University of 
Pittsburgh. He registered for selective service, but wrote and 
sent to his draft board his "declaration of rights," as he viewed 
them, and maintained such an attitude of defiance toward the 
Government that it was decided to investigate him. In the 
meantime he disappeared and was traced to New York, where 
he was placed under observation. He was detained in a locked 
room in a hotel until sufficient evidence could be obtained 
against him, but was so shrewd and resourceful that he out- 
witted his captors and made his escape. It was suspected that 
he had gone to Chicago, and a Pittsburgh operative went there 
to find him. The use of commendable strategy secured his 
arrest and his return to Pittsburgh at the point of a revolver. 
Although he condemned war as organized murder, he carried 
a loaded revolver and blackjack for emergencies! The details 
of his escape and flight read like a trilling story of Sherlock 
Holmes. As an instance of his resourcefulness and quick wit, 
he related that when he arrived at the depot in Chicago, he 
picked up a newspaper to learn quickly the lay of the land. 
In flaming headlines he discovered that Chicago police that 
morning were making wholesale arrests of all young men 
without registration cards. He had none. He espied a woman 
with a babe and a large traveling case, and politely offered to 
assist her by carrying the valise. When he was approached 
by an oflacer and requested to show his card, he quickly re- 
torted, "Oh, you are too late. You can see that this is my wife 
and child." He was allowed to leave the depot and go unmo- 
lested. He went into hiding until the scare was over. Hirsch- 
berg was sent by a court-martial at Camp Lee to the Atlanta 
prison for twenty years. 



" Pittsburgh had some amusing incidents," says the 
Chief who has been so freely quoted, and he has included 
several of them in his report : 

There was little bootlegging as liquor dealers endeavored to 
comply with the law forbidding the sale of intoxicants to 
soldiers in uniform or within restricted areas adjacent to army 
camps. One negro was suspected, and upon being approached 
by an operative, readily agreed to sell a quart of "cold tea" 
for $9.00. The operative bought — and then arrested the negro. 
When the "cold tea" was tested, it was found to be just what 
the negro said it was — cold tea! 

An alien enemy refused to register and was taken to the 
League headquarters for intensive examination. The operative 



THE STORY OF PITTSBURGH 245 

was called to the telephone on an urgent message just as he 
entered headquarters. He hastened to the telephone, leaving 
his prisoner where he could not escape. When he had finished, 
he discovered his prisoner missing. It transpired that another 
operative had come into headquarters, and the prisoner had 
asked him where aliens registered. The operative asked 
"Why?" and when he was informed that the man wished to 
register, he obligingly agreed to accompany him to the United 
States Marshal's office. He was chagrined to find that he had 
deprived his fellow operative of a case. 

A peculiar case came under the notice of the League. A 
Russian of draft age, whose father and brothers and sisters 
were naturalized, claimed exemption on the ground that the 
father had not taken out his citizenship papers until after he, 
the subject, had passed his majority, and he had never lost his 
Russian citizenship. The objector was sent to jail, but the 
decision was rendered that his point was well taken and he 
was. released. 

The League did a wonderful work in reconstructing families, 
returning wayward sons to sorrowing mothers, and in re- 
habilitating young men whose patriotism and fidelity to duty 
were lukewarm. In correcting and preventing trouble the 
American Protective League performed a' splendid service to 
the Government. 



CHAPTER VI 

THE STORY OF BOSTON 

Massachusetts Somewhat Mixed in Safety Measures — 
Early Embarrassment of Riches — Brief History of A. P. 
L. — Organization and Its Success — Stories of the Trail. 

After A. P. L. began to reach out into a wide development 
by reason of the hard work of the National Directors at 
Washington, D. J. in that town began to cry for more. It 
sent out to all its special agents and local offices a circular 
explaining the great assistance which the League was capable 
of rendering the Government, and asked the assignment of a 
special agent as an A. P. L. detail in each bureau locality. 
This circular went out on February 6, 1918, and Boston 
received a copy duly, as well as the request of the Provost 
Marshal General to the Governor of Massachusetts for aid 
in selective service matters. At that time there was no divi- 
sion of A. P. L. organized in Boston. A few days later 
the Massachusetts Committee of Public Safety, which had 
been organized and active ever since the beginning of the 
war, was asked to interest itself to the extent of having 
some good man start a Boston division of A. P. L. The 
latter matter was slow in development because of the extent 
and thoroughness of the earlier state organization. The lat- 
ter had been taking care of the food, fuel and other admin- 
istrative work in assistance to the Government. The feeling 
was that it might be better to enlarge the Committee of 
Public Safety than to start any new body which might be a 
source of misunderstanding and friction. 

The Department of Justice work in Boston during the 
early days of the war had not been satisfactory. Boston, so 
far from being all Puritan, has in reality one of the most 
mixed populations in the country. There was some feeling 
against the Department of Justice in Boston, and some feel- 
ing also against any new body which proposed to link up 

246 



THE STORY OF BOSTON 247 

closely with that arm of the Government. D. J. had been 
handling for itself the alien enemy, anti-military and propa- 
ganda work. Yet very early in the game D. J. was over- 
worked in Boston, as it had been in every other great city in 
America, and it really needed help. There were a great 
many thinking men who believed that it could be much re- 
lieved by the well-organized support of the banking, real 
estate, industrial and commercial activities of the city, as had 
been the case all over the United States where A. P. L. divi- 
sions had been created. 

Still another embarrassment, however, slowed up the early 
activities of A. P. L. in Bostoq. That city having in its 
population many French Canadians, Irish, and so forth, of 
the Catholic faith, had developed a sort of Church problem, 
and there had become somewhat active the organization 
known as the "A. P. A. " — whose initials are somewhat 
close to those of A. P. L. Many thought that confusion 
between the two organizations would result. There had been, 
moreover, in this state of independent thought, a great many 
other " Leagues " of this, that and the other sort; so that 
many felt that Boston had about enough leagues as matters 
then stood. 

At about this time Mr. W. Rodman Peabody of the Com- 
mittee of Public Safety pointed out to Washington the effi- 
cient manner in which Mr. Endicott had organized that 
committee throughout the State. There was a local commit- 
tee of safety in every town, and also a state-wide machine 
organizing the banking, real estate and other important 
business activities. He suggested that instead of a division 
of A. P. L., there ought to be a sub-organization " organized 
by the Committee of Public Safety at the request of the 
Department of Justice. ' ' It was understood that this minor 
organization should have the general features of A. P. L. 
and should act as the Massachusetts branch of A. P. L. A 
list of good names Avas suggested of persons suitable for the 
organization as thus outlined. 

Mr. Elting of the National Directors, however, made the 
point that an arrangement of this kind would have a 
tendency to discredit or to disintegrate the League in other 
cities. The Attorney-General also was opposed to any organ- 
ization which did not show the exact status of a purely 



248 THE WEB 

volunteer body, as had been done in all other parts of the 
United States. 

Mr. Peabody still wanted the Committee of Public Safety 
to appear as the parent or controlling body, and a lot of 
valuable time was wasted over this tweedle-dee argument. A 
compromise was effected, and on April 15, 1918, the National 
Directors had advice that the Massachusetts organization was 
hiring offices, and assumed that the work had begun and 
that Boston would copy as nearly as possible the form of 
letterhead used by A. P. L., putting the names of the National 
Directors on the left-hand side and substituting the words 
"Protective League." Underneath that was to appear the 
legend: " Organized by the Massachusetts Public Safety 
Committee under the Direction of the U. S. Department of 
Justice, Bureau of Investigation." Boston expressed the 
belief that Washington would not be able to tell the differ- 
ence between this organization and any other so far as loyalty 
and efficiency were concerned, although sensible of the 
Washington feeling that Massachusetts was starting a year 
late and might be suspected of lack in cooperation. 

All concerned having thus been satisfied, Massachusetts 
began A. P. L. work a trifle late in the game, but none the 
less proceeded to show that it could produce as effective an 
organization as any other in the country. Assistant Chief 
H. E. Trumbull makes his report on the regulation A. P. L. 
blanks and letterheads, and adds the following data as to 
the later organization of A. P. L. : 



Mr. Samuel Wolcott was appointed Chief, and we took two 
offices at 45 Milk Street, in the same building with the Depart- 
ment of Justice. Mr. Trumbull, then a volunteer operative 
v/'ith the Department proper, consented to help with the new 
organization, and Mr. John B. Hanrahan was appointed by 
the Department of Justice as a special agent to oversee the 
work of the new organization. 

A few weeks later we found that the work was too great to 
handle in such small quarters, and about the first of May con- 
tracted for half of the eighth floor of the building, the Depart- 
ment of Justice taking the other half. At this time Mr. 
Trumbull was appointed Assistant Chief. 

As a nucleus of the state organization, we took the names 
of the men who had been doing volunteer work for the United 



THE STORY OF BOSTON 249 

States Attorney's office, and we proceeded to send out to these 
men the work that came in their territory, and as they proved 
satisfactory, appointed them as inspectors of a certain district 
and gave them directions whereby they organized. 

About July first, the League took over from the Department 
the handling of all draft matters, the Department loaning to 
the League two special agents to supervise and the League fur- 
nishing all the men for the actual work. 

We think the strongest recommendation we can give of our 
loyalty and interest is the approximate number of cases handled 
from April 11, 1918, to February 1, 1919, which number amounts 
to about 5,000, with about 4,000 draft cases under the Selective 
Service Act. 

On or about October first, Mr. Wolcott resigned for the pur- 
pose of taking up active duties with the Army, and Mr. John 
W. Hannigan was appointed Chief in his place. 

The relations of the League with the Department have been 
of the closest, and there has never been any friction. Special 
Agent Kelleher has stated that if it had not been for the 
activities of the League, it would have been absolutely impos- 
sible for his office to handle the great volume of work. 

Once in its swing, Boston Division proceeded to do as 
Boston always does, and to work in thorough, and efficient 
fashion. A detailed statement of the work for Department 
of Justice covers 525 cases of alien enemy activities, 292 
cases under the Espionage act, one case of treason, seven of 
sabotage, eleven of interference with the draft, 128 cases of 
propaganda, twenty cases pi radicals and socialists, seven 
naturalization cases, and other investigations amounting 
to 484. 

For reasons above outlined, the division did little in food 
and fuel, and there was not much to do for the Navy. There 
were seventy-seven cases of character and loyalty investiga- 
tions, 331 passport cases, and 262 cases that had to do with 
war insurance and like matters. 

A, P. L. was, as usual, of great use to the War Depart- 
ment. The division conducted 514 investigations for local 
boards, examined 4,000 slacker raid cases, as well as fifteen 
gentlemen who did not know whether to work or fight. There 
were 1,908 applicants for overseas service who were investi- 
gated, as well as 510 applicants for commissions. The divi- 
sion deserves compliments for its steady and intelligent 



250 THE WEB 

administration of the whole range of the complicated prob- 
lems that rose out of the war situation. 

There were all sorts of curious cases which came up in 
Boston as in other cities^ which show alien artlessness or 
slacker subterfuges much as they appear elsewhere, as well 
as a certain occasional informality in regard to the observ- 
ance of the ordinary civil laws. For instance, one does not 
recall the name of Edward Burkhart as one of the occupants 
of the Mayflower on its arrival; neither does Mr. Burkhart 
seem to have been fully possessed of Puritan principles, for 
it was alleged that he had been dishonorably discharged from 
the U. S. Navy, was dishonorably living with a woman who 
was not his wife, and had dishonorably failed to register 
for the draft. As Mr. Burkhart was hiding out somewhere, 
an A. P. L. operative was put on his trail. He went to the 
house where Burkhart was living and told the woman in 
the case that she was doing wrong in covering up the where- 
abouts of Burkhart. He added that he believed the man was 
in the house or would come back to the house, in spite of all 
she had said. That was at three o 'clock in the afternoon, and 
the operative concluded to sit in the house and wait to see 
what would happen, all exits being guarded by other opera- 
tives. Nothing did happen until 9 :15 that night, although 
the house was searched. At last, up in the attic, a small 
blind space was found where the electric light wires went up 
to the roof. A flash light here illuminated the dark interior^ 
— and disclosed Mr. Burkhart resting rather uncomfortably 
on the cross beams, where he had been since early that after- 
noon — something of a Spartan, if not much of a Puritan. 
It was found that he was twenty-five years of age and not 
thirty-seven. It was also found that he had the classifica- 
tion card belonging to another man, whereupon he was ac- 
cused of failure to file his questionnaire. On December 30, 
he was brought before the Grand Jury, found guilty and 
sentenced to East Cambridge jail. 

Another gentleman, Mr. Ralph E , when he filled out 

his questionnaire, swore that he was a married man and had 
a wife and child dependent upon him. It was discovered 
that the woman was not his wife. The man consulted the 
partner of the A. P. L. inspector — the two being members 
of the same law firm — in professional capacity. Here, there- 



THE STORY OF BOSTON 251 

fore, was a question of ethics involving the privilege of a 
confession made to an attorney and also the oath taken to 

the A. P. L. The two law partners called in Mr. E 

and gave him good advice about the crime of perjury. As 
the man did what he could to square up matters, it was 
decided to let that part of his case drop. He was not sent 
to prison. 

Mr. Herbert C had an ambition to go across as a 

member of the American Red Cross and had good recom- 
mendations. A. P. L., however, discovered that he was an 
alleged dope fiend. He did not go with the Red Cross. 

Peter R , of a town near Boston, while arguing with 

two men about the war, made a few such casual statements 
as "To hell with Liberty Bonds," " To hell with Thrift 
Stamps, " " The Government is no good, " ' < I will not fight 
for this country, " " I will not register, " " I am going back 
to my own country, Russia, ' ' and ' ' The whole United States 
Government be damned. ' ' This man was brought before the 
Assistant United States District Attorney from the police 
court, but the attorney declined to prosecute and said that 
Peter was only playful. He did not think that a private 
trial could be used in a Federal prosecution. Most excel- 
lent ! Obviously, it is the spirit that killeth, and the letter 
that giveth life ! 

A Mr. C swore he had a wife and child dependent 

on him, and so he ought not to be asked to fight. A. P. L. 
found out that he had spent ten thousand dollars the year 
before, that his father gave him all he wished, that he was a 
Boston clubman, that he was not engaged in any productive 
industry. Held to the grand jury in five thousand dollars 
bail. 

A man by the name of J was reported on November 

14 to have made disloyal and 'pro-German remarks. Two 
days later, three affidavits were before the Assistant District 
Attorney. In this case the attorney ruled that although the 
men had a clean cut case against him, there was no need 
to prosecute him if he had been warned. Indeed, why 
annoy an alien? 

Boston is well known in the matter of tea parties. An 
A. P. L. officer was taking tea with a navy officer on board 
ship in Boston harbor, and the latter complained that his 



252 THE WEB 

men were getting too much cold tea on their shore leave. 
A. P. L. took it up with the Naval Intelligence, and within 
a week a man was taken in custody for selling such beverages 
to men in uniform. 

Mr. Charles D. Milkowicz, or some such name, was alleged 
to dance in happiness at the report of any German victory. 
It was his custom to fire any employe in the factory where 
he was foreman, if the employe showed any pro- American 
tendencies. Once he said regarding the U. S. flag, " Get 
that damned flag out of the way. ' ' • He used to wear an iron 
cross stick pin up to April 6, 1917. He was a member of 
the German Club, and used to buy silver nails for the Hin- 
denburg statue which they maintained at that club, such 
nails retailing for a dollar a throw, all for the good of the 
Kaiser. A. P. L. started an investigation which showed that 
this man seemed to be uncertain whether he came from 
Russia or Germany and was equally indefinite as to his age. 
He was not registered as an alien enemy, and was charged 
with falsifying his questionnaire as well as violating Section 
3 of the Espionage Act. The Assistant U. S. Attorney han- 
dling alien enemy matters in Massachusetts refused to act 
in this case. So far as known, the attorney is still in office, 
and Mr. Milkowicz is still in Boston. 

Mr. Hans D , a German waiter in Boston, belonged 

to a German club where considerable advance news of Ger- 
man operations circulated. Mr. D said he sent money 

to Germany ; said that Germany would win the war ; drank 
to the health of the Kaiser on hearing that an American ship 

had been torpedoed. In short, Mr. D ran quite true 

to form in all ways. A photograph was found which looked 
like him in a German uniform — he must have been a German 
officer, because they found in his possession a half dozen 
spoons which he had stolen in New England, in default of 
better opportunity in Belgium. At least he was prosecuted 
for larceny and was fined $15.00. Later his reputation was 
found to be so bad as a propagandist that he was interned 
on a presidential warrant. 

It occurred to the fertile brain of Mr. Julius Bongraber 
that a varied spelling of his name might prove useful to him 
in times of draft. Sometimes he wrote his name as Graber, 
sometimes as Van Graber, and sometimes as Julius V. Gaber. 



the: story of boston 253 

His classification card named him as G. V. Gaber. When 
interrogated as to all these matters, he admitted that the 
initial " G " ought to have been " Y," because that was the 
way Yulius was pronounced, anyhow, in his country. At 
the same time he left a card over his door signed J. V. Gaber. 
He declared that he was a German, also an Austrian, also a 
neutral, but had sympathies with Kussia. To others he said 
that his name was Von Gaber; that he was an alien, but 
would go where he liked. He had taken out first citizenship 
papers, but had registered for return with the Austria- 
Hungarian Consul. A. P. L. got this multifold party on 
the carpet, but on his statement that he intended to go to 
New York, the prosecution seems to have been dropped, 
although the dossier was forwarded to New York after him. 

There was a draft evader in Boston by the name of 

R , who did not file his questionnaire. He was found 

at his home by an agent of A. P. L. and agreed to accompany 
the latter. It was the intention of the operative to turn over 
his man to a policeman, but policemen seemed to be rare in 
Boston, for in two miles not one was sighted. The draft 
evader then evaded yet more, and was not found for several 
days thereafter. The man's mother, however, when found, 
averred she had not seen her son for two months. A plain 
patriotic talk was made to her with the result that after a 
while, she found the said son and turned him over to the 
authorities for service in the army. 

Boston Division in one ease revoked the credentials which 
it had issued to an operative. The man's name was Oscar 

F , and the position seemed to go to his head. He took 

to borrowing money right and left, once getting as high as 
fifty dollars on a touch of one of the special agents. He 
admitted that he was probably the best secret service agent 
in the country, and told people he was getting $3,000 a year 
and expenses. After that he usually touched his listener for 
$5.00. Oscar was doing well until they let him out. His 
name ended in ' ' ski. ' ' 

Boston, being near the Northern seaboard, heard of a good 
many cases of mysterious light signals. One operative in the 
Lynn district was sure he had seen dots and dashes coming 
across the bay at night in the approved fashion of mysterious 
night signals. They put a telegrapher on the case but he 



254 THE WEB 

could not make out the message. At one o 'clock in the morn- 
ing four tried men and true of the A. P. L. rowed out with 
muffled oars to an anchored yacht which seemed to be the 
place from which the light signals appeared. They found 
five pairs of feet pointing to the zenith. Calling upon the 
feet to surrender, they boarded the yacht and explanations 
followed. It appeared that the five yachtsmen had had a 
hard day 's sail and had decided to remain on board ship 
over night. The flashes of light which had so aroused the 
A. P. L. men were nothing more nor less than the reflection 
of a shore light on the glass of a porthole as the boat rolled 
and swayed in the ripples of the bay. 

Next to mysterious signal lights, wireless stations have pro- 
duced as many flivvers for the A. P. L. as anything else. 
Inspector T insisted that there was a house in his dis- 
trict which ought to be searched, because he was satisfied it 
had a wireless plant. As he had no proof, he could not obtain 
a search warrant. Mr. Endicott, at the office of the Food 
Administration, gave him a sugar warrant, stating that that 
would let him into the house, and that he might get some 

information. Inspector T went to the house with a 

club in one hand and the warrant in the other ; searched the 
house from garret to basement, but found no wireless. While 
poking around in one of the corners, however, he did dis- 
cover eighty pounds of sugar, which, being overweight, he 
promptly confiscated. 

Soon after the forming of the A. P. L. in Boston, a man 
came in with a carrier pigeon which he was sure was a 
mysterious messenger of some sort. It was a beautiful white 
bird that had dark dots and dashes all over the inside of 
both wings. The chief was all wrought up about this and 
regretted that he had not been taught the Morse code in early 
life. He therefore took the man and the bird over to the 
office of Military Intelligence, where they unravel, decipher 
and decode all sorts of things. The Major in command was 
very cordial, and he also examined the bird carefully. In 
his belief the dots and dashes on the wings were of impor- 
tance, but he could not quite read them all. He sent for 
the code expert of the Signal Corps. Who shall say that 
A. P. L. cannot run down any sort of clew ? The code expert 
pf the Signal Corps also examined the bird carefully, but 



THE STORY OF BOSTON 255 

at first could not make it out. Then he touched one of the 
dots with the point of his pencil. It turned out to be a per- 
fectly good cootie, which still possessed powers of locomotion. 
Throughout the war, New England was, always, one of 
the nerve centers of the United States. A great many muni- 
tion factories were at work there day and night. The atmos- 
phere was tense all the time ; war was in the eyes and ears of 
the people. But let no man believe New England anything 
but American. Whatever her population to-day, her leader- 
ship is American and only American and always will be 
such. Boston and her environs, the entire state of Massa- 
chusetts, the entire section of New England, went into the 
war from the first word. No part of America is saner or 
safer ; no part was better guided and guarded by local agen- 
cies of defense. A. P. L. was accepted as one of these, 
certainly not to the regret of any man concerned. 



CHAPTER VII 

THE STORY OF CLEVELAND 

Astonishing Figures of A. P. L. Activities in a Great Manu- 
facturing City — Sabotage, Bolshevism and Treason — I. 
W. W. and Kindred Radical Propaganda — The Saving of 
a City. 

Once more we find occasion to revise the popular estimate 
of a supposedly well-known American community. No one 
would think of staid, steady, even-going Cleveland as any- 
thing but a place of prosperity and peace. At a rough esti- 
mate, before the Cleveland report came in, one would have 
said that possibly that city might report a total of ten or 
fifteen thousand cases of A. P. L. investigations. As a mat- 
ter of fact, the Cleveland total is over sixty thousand ! And 
yet, the Cleveland Chief in his report calls attention to the 
large amount of war supplies manufactured in his district, 
and says : ' ' We were a hot-bed of Socialism and pro- 
Germanism, but not one dollar's worth of material was 
lost." 

Cleveland Division was organized in May, 1917, with a 
personnel of 1,008 — Mr. Arch C. Klunph, Chief, six As- 
sistant Chiefs, seven Departmental Inspectors, an office staff 
and eighteen companies. There were also one women's com- 
pany and about five hundred unattached operatives; a total 
personnel of 1,551. 

As the type of A. P. L. service varied in different cities, 
it may be interesting to other cities to note the character of 
work the Cleveland division was called upoii to do. The list 
of investigations covers many heads : Failure to register, 
failure to entrain, and deserters from service, 5,356 ; failure 
to submit questionnaire, 2,100 ; failure to report for physical 
examination, 3,100 ; claims for exemption, 2,500 ; seditious 
literature, 50; seditious and treasonable utterances or pro- 
German cases, 7,113 ; loyalty investigations for Army, Navy, 
\ 256 



THE STORY OF CLEVELAND 257 

Red Cross, Y. M. C. A., etc., 1,746 ; wireless outfits, 40 ; enemy ' 
agents or spies, 363; I. W. W., Socialist, W. I. I. U. and 
Bolsheviki, 1,529 ; industrial sabotage, 318 ; Liberty Bond 
slackers, 500. Total number of men apprehended and ex- 
amined on slacker raids, estimated, 36,000. Total — 60,715. 

In addition to the foregoing, the Cleveland division has 
rendered a large amount of service in investigating cases of 
violations of food, fuel, electric light and gasless Sunday 
regulations ; cases for the National Council of Defense ; regis- 
tration of male and female enemy aliens (approximately 
5,000) ; work of U. S. Marshal's office; work of Naturaliza- 
tion JBureau by secret investigations of applicants for citi- 
zenship ; Eed Cross overseas work ; Socialist cases ; details for 
War Work plants. There also were regular weekly details 
of volunteer workers with automobiles to assist the Police 
Department. 

As to definite preventive measures, the Chief points out 
several instances : the stopping of manufacture of a fountain 
pen which would explode on being opened; the choking off 
of the establishment of a high-power wireless plant on the 
shore of Lake Erie ; the discharge of countless German work- 
men in factories producing food for the Army ; the confisca- 
tion of models and plans of American battleships and sub- 
marines, and literature found in the hands of German 
propagandists. 

In May, 1918, an express company notified Cleveland 
A. P. L. that they were called upon to issue money orders 
to an unusual number of Germans, who claimed that they 
were returning to their homes in Russia. The League cap- 
tured twenty-three men, all claiming to live in Russia, al- 
though plainly German in appearance, and speaking that 
language in talking with one another. Three men left for 
Chicago, but were apprehended by wire at the railroad ter- 
minal in Chicago. This was a concerted movement to get 
as many Germans as possible back into Russia. 

Cleveland, being one of the largest cities of the United 
States, and having also one of the largest percentages of 
foreign population, naturally indeed was a hot-bed for So- 
cialism, I. W. W. work and Bolshevism, although such had 
not been the general reputation of the city. These organ- 
izations held regular meetings, often with speeches of the 



258 THE WEB 

most dangerous character. At most of them, there was an 
A. P. L. operative noting all that was done and said. 

Cleveland Division covered a population of over a million, 
and that in one of the four largest war working centers in 
the nation. It is a very proud claim to say that not one 
dollar was lost to the nation. The Chief points out that this 
statement is the more astonishing because there were made 
in Cleveland a long list of military supplies: Air-planes, 
wings and parts ; ammunitions, clothing, trucks, and the hun- 
dred other materials for use in the Army and Navy. There 
were three hundred and eighty-six plants in Cuyhoga County 
engaged in ordnance work, and there were employed in 
these plants 1,218 workmen. These ordnance plants had con- 
tracts amounting to $175,000,000. Motor transportation 
plants, making trucks, trailers, axles, forms, etc., had a series 
of contracts totaling $88,000,000. There were fifty plants 
engaged in air-craft production, and twenty making clothing, 
not to mention three large shipyards, all busy practically 
day and night. That means work! Figures like this are 
serious. It is no cheap flattery to say to the men who are 
responsible for the safety of these vast industrial concerns 
that their record is a more than marvelous one. It is no 
wonder that there is the best of feeling between Cleveland 
Division and the Department of Justice, Police Department 
and all the allied administrations of the law. It is not neces- 
sary to print the letters of appreciation from any of these. 

The Chief says that the most of the active work covered 
a period of about fifteen months. The cases handled monthly 
approximated four thousand. Obviously it is impossible to 
report sixty thousand, or four thousand, or one thousand 
cases, but some of the Cleveland specials are too interesting 
to leave aside. It is regrettable that they must be abbre- 
viated. 

On December 1, 1917, Dorothy A , a nice Cleveland 

girl, was gelling Liberty Bonds for the Y. W. C. A. on a 
partial payment basis, which did not seem quite right. Doro- 
thy was hard to find, but she admitted, when found, that 
she was selling these bonds because she needed the money 
herself. The mortgage on the old home was about to be fore- 
closed, and she had taken this method of getting what money 
she could. It was in truth the case of a young girl driven 



THE STORY OF CLEVELAND 259 

desperate by circumstances. The A. P. L. first got her a 
good position; second, advanced the money to pay off the 
mortgage on the home, she to pay them back in monthly 
instalhnents ; and third, found the people to whom she had 
sold the bonds, and returned the money of which she had 
fraudulently deprived them. This girl remained clean and 
straight, and as a culmination of the case she married a 
young soldier, whom she met through the A. P. L., who 
later did his bit in France. We do not know of a prettier bit 
in the history of the A. P. L. than this. 

On March 2, 1918, A. P. L. ran down another one of those 
cruel rumors against the Eed Cross which have been started 
by pro-German women for the most part. This rumor was 
first circulated by a young woman, and is of a nature which 
can not be put into print. The girl, when found, confessed^ 
that she was guilty. She also confessed that she was hitting 
the high spots in the city, having left a country home to get 
acquainted with the bright lights. The A. P. L. did not kick 
this woman down and out, either, but gave her a hand-up. 
Two weeks later she came to the Division Office with tears 
in her eyes, apologized for the false rumors which she had 
set going, and implored that she might be allowed to do 
something for the office of the division. 

A war plant making areoplane parts kept turning out 
defective work. The A. P. L. put a woman operative in the 
factory. She chanced to be a young woman of a wealthy 
family, accustomed to the luxury of a beautiful home, but 
she took to the overalls and dirty work as a duck does to 
water. She was in the factory three weeks, located the 
trouble, and it was adjusted. 

A telephone call reported that a house was being burglar- 
ized. An. A, P. L. man at the phone remembered that a 
deserter had been sought for at that number. In thirty 
minutes the house was surrounded. They did not catch the 
deserter, but they did get the burglar. 

A dangerous type of service was the raiding of I. W. W. 
headquarters. Sometimes these were boarding houses where 
thirty or forty of these people would be gathered together. 
When such a place was surrounded, the suspects would pour 
out of the windows into the arms of the operatives. This 
meant occasional fights, and there was danger in the work, 



260 THE WEB 

but there was no case where loss of life was experienced. 

An interesting fact of Cleveland war work was that de- 
veloped by examination of the draughting rooms in the large 
plants. In some of these plants the entire draughting force 
was not only German by descent but pro-German in senti- 
ment. It has often been said that part of German propa- 
ganda was to get men in factories where they could get blue- 
prints of all of our machinery. In November, 1917, the 
League was advised that a draughtsman of a ship-building 
company was very pro-German, and it was said that the 
foreman in charge would hire only Germans. Constant 
surveillance was ordered, but it was as late as June, 1918, 
before this man was found making derogatory remarks about 
our Army. He was found to have been an officer in the 
German Reserves. He was jailed. Many letters were found 
on him sufficient to warrant his internment. 

As though I. W. W.'s were not sufficiently dangerous, 
operatives were once asked to arrest a colored slacker who 
worked for a lion-tamer. The latter, a woman, gave the 
operatives a tip that her assistant ought to be looked into. 
He was finally caught at the time when he was transferring 
the lions from the performing ring to their traveling cages, 
but that did not stop the operatives. After he got the doors 
locked he was taken to the Federal Building and inducted 
into the Service, where his courage will be put to good 
service. 

Here are some familiar pro-German statements, this time 
uttered by one A. C , who was running an adver- 
tising agency. At one time he said that " the war would be 
ended by January 1, because German training was better 
than ours — that we should not believe the lies about Ger- 
mans killing babies — everyone knows that America is going 
to lose the war — that this is no war for Democracy — -that 
there is no Democracy in America. ' ' Indicted. Guilty. In- 
terned. A. P. L. 

Cleveland had its own troubles with evaders and slackers, 
and it took many cleverly laid plans to catch some of them. 
These are some of the methods. After locating where a sus- 
pect lived who was hard to find, a man would appear next 
day as one of the solicitors of the City Directory whose 
business it was to get the name of every man in each house. 



THE STORY OF CLEVELAND 261 

The solicitor was usually a very old looking man. This 
usually worked. If it did not, a messenger boy would show 
up with a message saying that it must be delivered at once. 
If this failed, there would come a letter from some prominent 
institution, sent in an unsealed envelope, addressed to the 
man offering him a job at an unusually high wage. One 
or the other of these devices would usually establish touch 
with the man wanted. It was like changing baits in a trap. 

An interesting case was that of Harry W , who was 

brother of another Mr. W sentenced to the workhouse 

for violation of the Espionage Act. Harry did not register, 
but was picked up in the City Council Chamber. He des- 
perately tried to convince the A. P. L. men that he was too 
old, but the operatives got his birth record and proved that 
he had wilfully evaded registration. Indicted and sentenced 
to one year in the workhouse. 

A deserter from Camp Sherman, in December, 1917, was 
located wearing civilian clothes as late as September, 1918. 
He was hidden by a certain woman, who had secreted his 
uniform and who had supplied him with liquor repeatedly. 
"We learned that this was an illicit relation. The woman had 
furnished the man with money from time to time. The 
A. P. L. took her case up with the District Attorney. The 
woman is awaiting indictment of a charge of furnishing 
liquor to a soldier and harboring a deserter. Her lover is 
back in camp. 

The division had a good case on certain German sympa- 
thizers believed to be sending certain information to the 
enemy. A dictaphone was installed in a hotel room which 
they occupied, and the place was watched day and night for 
a week. Just at the time when it seemed that some informa- 
tion was going to be reported, a parrot which the people had 
in the room started to chatter and beat them into the dicta- 
phone. Nothing was discovered at that time and the Chief 
reports, ' ' I regret we cannot print what came over the dicta- 
phone by the parrot." 

Adolph R , a German of the Germans, was within 

the draft, but resisted in every possible way, and said he 
would kill any members of the League who came after him. 
He even called up individual members and told them he was 
going to shoot them. When an order came he told the A. P. L. 



262 THE WEB 

man that he would pay no attention. A detail was sent 
after him and he was escorted like a little lamb to the bar- 
racks. He has been a good German ever since. 

The League found that it had in its ranks as an operative 
a resident of the city of Cleveland, who had been there all 
his life but was a German alien and not registered. This 
fellow was arrested and interned for a short period, though 
soon paroled. 

The Cleveland division of A. P. L. took a very prominent 
part in the Debs case, and furnished abundant men and 
machines on the Sunday that Debs was arrested in Cleveland. 
It also helped to assemble the evidence on which Debs was 
indicted. 

Washington was on the hunt for a dangerous enemy alien 

by the name of Henry H . Information came that 

he was working for a photographic concern in Cleveland, but 
he could not be located. Four months later a complaint of 
pro-Germanism came in against a man of the same name 
working for a city directory company. He had changed his 
occupation but not his nature, and hence was arrested. 

The printed page was another form of propaganda in 
Cleveland. An alien enemy editor of a German paper was 
allowed at large with restrictions. He abused his privilege 
and was interned at Fort Oglethorpe. Indictments and con- 
victions were found against members of the staff of a German 
daily. Yet another editor refused to print articles on food 
conservation, and he also was indicted and convicted. 
Sabotage was threatened and planned in many cases. In 
one instance a tip got out that a big war plant was to be 
blown up on one of two given nights. The League got on 
the job and found the plant to be insufficiently guarded. 
The guard was increased and no damage was done. 

Gottlieb K , an alien enemy, was caught out of his 

zone without his permit. Operatives went to his home and 
found two Mauser rifles, a peck of shells, a dagger, a black- 
jack and several maps of Canada, the United States and 
Mexico. Gottlieb was thought to be more fit for Fort Ogle- 
thorpe than Cleveland. 

Mr. A. L. H , a member of the Cleveland Board of 

Education, had his own idea about education. In the home 
of a socialist he remarked that the Liberty Bonds would 



THE STORY OF CLEVELAND 263 

never he paid, and that the working class for generations 
would have to work to support these bonds. He stated that 
the Russian Committee, headed by Elihu Eoot, who went to 
Russia to investigate the conditions there, had their report 
written and signed before they left America. He frequently 
said that the bonds of the United States were not worth the 
paper they were written on. Affidavits resulted in the indict- 
ment of Mr. H , and he was sentenced to ten years in 

the Atlanta Penitentiary, the conviction automatically re- 
moving him from the Board of Education. 

A mail carrier in Cleveland fell heir to $60,000, but being 
a socialist, would not subscribe to Liberty Bonds. He was 
called to the headquarters of the A. P. L. and reasoned with. 
The next day his son came into headquarters literally run- 
ning over with Liberty Bonds. He had $10,000 worth, all in 
$100 denominations ! They sent him home with a guard. 

The A. P. L. was responsible for obtaining the evidence 
that secured the conviction of the State Secretary of the 
Socialist Party and two others. All of these men publicly 
made speeches against the draft, and were actually instru- 
mental in preventing certain men from complying with the 
Selective Service Act. All sentenced to one year of peace in 
the Canton workhouse by the Federal Court. 

A gentleman by the name of Joseph Freiheit — Freiheit 
means "freedom" in German — said that if sent to the 
army he would not shoot at the Germans. He advised his 
friends to do the same. He was brought to headquarters and 
reprimanded. The next day he committed suicide. Case 
closed. 

A man who owned a garage was reported hostile to Liberty- 
Bonds and Thrift Stamps. A certain operative went to talk 
over with him the question of Thrift Stamps. The question 
was asked, " How many do you want me to buy? " The 
solicitor said he thought about a thousand dollars worth. He 
bought a thousand dollars worth in cash, then and there. 
Almost persuaded. 

A very elusive draft dodger was Geo. F , who was 

chased from pillar to post, but not come up with. He was 
discovered to have an intrigue with a waitress, Jennie 

M , who also would change her name once in a while, 

leave her place of employment and be gone a day or two. 



264 THE WEB 

The question was, where did she go ? The operatives on the 
case took Jennie down to the Federal Building, where she 
told so many conflicting stories that she was locked up. 
Meantime, the Post Office Department advised that certain 
letters were sent back from Elyria, Ohio, addressed to " F. 

J. P . " The return card brought the trail around to 

one of the original dwelling-places of the suspect. The 
operative now went to this address and found the owner 
of the home and threatened to arrest him for abetting a 
deserter from the United States Army. These letters were 
opened and it was discovered that the man desired was get- 
ting mail at the post office at Monroe, Michigan. So the 
operative went to Jennie in jail and said, " Well, we have 
got George over in Michigan, " "Is that so ? " said the girl ; 
" how did you get him? " The operative declined to tell, 
and said the only thing he wondered about was what name 
George was going under in Monroe. The girl finally admit- 
ted that his name there was " F. J. P ." It took 

patience and shrewdness to follow the trail in Monroe. How- 
ever, a name was found written in two places in a register 
of a workingmen's hotel there. The initials were the same 

as for F. J. P , one of the many alias names. The 

landlady was found, and a picture of Jennie was shown her. 

She said it was the same picture that " F. J. P " had 

in the back of his watch. The rest was rather simple. The 
operator hired a taxicab and started out in search of his man, 
who then was engaged as night watchman on some road 
work. A steam roller was found in the middle of the road, 
displaying a red lantern, with a man fast asleep on top. The 
operative awakened him, and identified him as the much 

wanted Geo. F , alias Ed. D , alias Geo. W , 

alias F. J. P , alias F. J. P . The man was 

handcuffed and the party started back for Monroe. In due 
time, the suspect was taken to the Department of Justice, 
and on December 14 the long trail ended for him. The 
details of this pursuit are among the most interesting of those 
which have been turned in for any case on the Cleveland 
records. 

One operative had what he took to be a regular Conan 
Doyle novel, all spread out before him. It involved what 
was known as " The House of Mystery," where all kinds of 



THE STORY OF CLEVELAND 265 

mysterious goings and comings and every sort of dark, secret 
midnight interview took place. After a long, long time the 
house of mystery was closed. The inspector was able from 
other information to tell the operatives what was the matter 
with his case — which is not reported in full. The inspector 
said: " Your elderly woman there is the mother of the 
younger woman, who is married to a worthless scamp, from 
whom she is seeking a divorce. They have a beautiful home 
in the mountains of the West, and that is where they go 
on the mysterious trips you have been noticing so long. 
Their trunks are filled with valuable papers, and when they 
finished discussing these, they put them back in the trunks. 
The little child is the son of the young woman. The reason 
they rented this isolated house and made a prisoner out of 
the child was because the father has been trying to kidnap 
the child. The mysterious chauffeur is the secretary of the 
ladies. When he enlisted for the war they found cause to 
weep on that account." The operative had been working 
on an ordinary society detective story instead of a plot 
against the United States. 

Perhaps these very few random eases may serve to show 
the variety of the sixty thousand handled in Cleveland. What 
did it all mean for the safety and security of the United 
States? Who can measure it? That is a thing impossible. 
But that the good citizens of Cleveland appreciated what 
the A. P. L. has done may be seen from abundant local 
evidence. Under date of December 24 the Cleveland news- 
papers came out in open condemnation of the wave of crime 
then threatening the city. The Plain Dealer said very 
plainly : 

The amazing boldness of bandits, burglars and miscellaneous 
plug-uglies in Cleveland bas finally stirred the city to an in- 
sistent demand that something approaching war methods be 
adopted in dealing with them. It is peculiarly irritating to 
know that most, if not all, of the criminals are young men of 
military age. While better men have been giving their lives 
to free the world of the terror of Germanism, these stealthy 
enemies have been staging a reign of terror of their own in a 
. modern American community. The American Protective 
League has wisely placed its services at the disposal of the 
police. All public spirited citizens should cooperate in every 



266 THE WEB 

possible way. The police are shooting to kill, and the more 
frequently their aim proves true the better it will be for 
Cleveland. It is not time for leniency or compromise. The 
thug of to-day, who has so serious a misapprehension of the 
privilege of being an American, deserves nothing beyond a 
snug grave. There have been other epidemics of outlawry in 
Cleveland, and perhaps the present "crime wave" is no more 
menacing than some that have gone before. But coming just 
at this time, when so great a price has been paid to make 
America and all the world safe and decent, the impudence of 
the gunman is peculiarly infuriating. 

The Cleveland Press headed one of its editorials : ' ' Chief, 
call out the A. P. L. ! " In answer, the Chief of the Cleve- 
land Police did call on the A. P. L. once more, although this 
was six v^eeks after hostilities had ceased. All of the follow- 
ing Saturday night and Sunday there were A. P. L. men 
patrolling the streets of Cleveland in motor ears in company 
with the police. 

The disbanding of the A. P. L. was openly deplored in 
Cleveland. What is going to be the future condition of the 
United States in these days following the war? One thing 
is sure, the thinking men of the country are uneasy. There 
is reason to feel concern, in a city like Cleveland, over bol- 
shevism and labor troubles. There do not lack those who 
predict for all America the wave of disregard for property 
and life which quite often ensues at the close of a great 
war — and this war was the greatest upheavel of human 
institutions and human values the world has ever seen. But 
matters in Cleveland might have been worse — much worse. 



CHAPTER VIII 

THE STORY OF CINCINNATI 

Data from a Supposed Citadel of Pro-Germanism — Grati- 
fying Reports from the City Whicli Boasts a Rhine of its 
Own — Alien Enemies and How They "Were Handled — 
Americanization of America. 

That Cincinnati had a vast population of German descent 
and of pro-German sympathies was known throughout the 
United States. It would be folly to say otherwise. Had 
open riots or armed resistance to the draft, or to the war 
itself, arisen in Cincinnati, there were many who would not 
have been surprised. Those, however, did not really know 
the inherently solid quality of the city on the Ohio River. 
They may find that from the study of the able report of 
the Cincinnati Division. 

Perhaps a very considerable amount of the quiet on the 
Rhine at Cincinnati was due to the fact that there was such 
an organization within its gates as the American Protective 
League. The members of the League were on the watch all 
the time for anything dangerous in the way of pro-enemy 
activity. That the division had a certain amount of work 
to do may be seen from the summaries. 

There were 2,972 investigations for disloyalty and sedi- 
tion; 4,232 selective service investigations; 3,004 suspects 
taken in slacker raids. Of propaganda by word of mouth, 
there were 7,000 examinations. Three hundred and seventy 
civilian applicants for overseas service were examined. There 
were eighty-one examinations made into the character of 
persons identified with the I. W. W., the People's Council, 
and other pacifist or radical bodies. The Secret Service had 
fifty examinations made for it and the Post Office three. 
There were fourteen thousand visits made at homes and 
places of business of alien enemies, and twenty-eight alien 
enemies were required to report to the supervisor every week. 

267 



268 THE WEB 

Heatless Mondays required three hundred investigations and 
gasless Sundays one thousand, five hundred and seventeen. 
In 250 instances the A. P. L. rendered automobile service to 
various Government departments. These figures show that 
something was doing in Cincinnati. As to the exact nature of 
the activities, it is much better to give the sober and just 
estimate of the local chief, as gratifying as it is admirable : 

From its inception the Cincinnati Division of the American 
Protective League was vibrant with possibilities. Cincinnati 
was linown from coast to coast as a city settled by Germans. 
It was presumed, of course, to be very largely pro-German 
as a result of this reputation. "Over-the-Rhine" meant Cin- 
cinnati to many who lived outside of its confines. The repu- 
tation of the city was at stake. Those who knew Cincinnati, 
however, felt that this reputation which came to us from 
abroad was unjustified, and that although there was no gain- 
saying that German blood flowed in the veins of a very large 
number of its people, it was still ninety-nine per cent loyal; 
and the record of the war has demonstrated the truth of this 
statement. 

Under the direction and supervision of Calvin S. Weakley, 
Special Agent in charge of the Department of Justice, work 
was carried on with quietness and despatch. He approached 
every matter with an open mind, and it is to his excellent 
judgment and his avoidance of brass-band methods that the 
record of the Cincinnati office of the Bureau of Investiga- 
tion and its auxiliary, the Cincinnati Division of the Amer- 
ican Protective League, has been clean of criticism. In the 
burglar-proof steel cabinets, however, repose documents and 
reports which would create a sensation in the community, 
and perhaps the day of reckoning is not far. While the fact 
that many of these acts occurred before the United States 
became an active participant in the world war may mean 
legal immunity, yet the record is made, and in many cases 
public opinion has been the sternest prosecutor of those indi- 
viduals (many of whom enjoy the rights of American citizen- 
ship), whose sympathies as well as activities will always 
brand them as having been unfit for the privileges which 
they still continue to enjoy. It has brought to many of those 
individuals social isolation — a punishment incomparable with 
anything that can be meted out by judge or jury — and they 
cannot help but feel the ignominy of their unpatriotic actions. 
Loyalty to the country and a fine patriotism for the cause was 
the keynote which seemed to. animate the membership. 



THE STORY OF CINCINNATI 269 

Hardly had the ink dried upon the President's signature 
to the document which made operative the original Selective 
Service Act, when word filtered through to the office of the 
Cincinnati Division American Protective League that there 
was an undercurrent of opposition developing which would 
culminate on Registration Day, June 5th, 1917. So-called 
Socialists, who v/ere in fact German propagandists, were the 
most active in their criticism. Venomous advice was being 
offered to young men, who, upon that historic day, would 
enter their names upon the rolls of the prospective great 
National Army. 

The preliminary information which was gathered left no 
doubt in the mind of Special Agent "Weakley, at Cincinnati, 
that unless an example was made of these so-called pacifists, 
there was danger of an incomplete registration, and it became 
very apparent from the preliminary investigations made that 
the opposition to registration centered in a local unit of a 
Socialist organization known as the Eleventh Ward. 

Out of four operatives who entered into this particular case, 
three were dropped, and one became a member of the inner 
circle. The open meetings of the club divulged nothing, but 
the secret sessions of the inner circle developed the plan 
which would make as ineffective as possible registration in 
Cincinnati and which undoubtedly would have succeeded. 
Circulars and posters were secretly printed, and on the night 
of June 1 they were to be distributed broadcast throughout 
the northwestern section of Cincinnati. This literature not 
only was seditious in character, but in the opinion of the 
District Attorney, treasonable. 

The League plan was so carefully and thoroughly developed 
that not a guilty man escaped. There was quite a scene at 
several police stations when operatives of the League, de- 
tailed with local police detectives, brought in their men, each 
with his pile of circulars. A. P. L. had direct evidence of 
where these circulars had been placed — in letter boxes, on 
door-steps, or handed to individuals on the street — and thus 
made each case complete in itself; and when, the next day, 
the newspapers told in detail the story of how this plan had 
been nipped in the bud, anti-conscriptionists became enthusi- 
astic registrants. Even men who were arrested asked for 
the privilege of registration. Cincinnati not only gave the 
quota estimated for it, but a percentage so much higher as 
to elicit surprise. 

After the investigation had developed the real culprits, the 
printing shop also was located, the form from which the 
circulars had been printed confiscated, and the complete chain 



270 THE WEB 

of evidence was suflBclent to bring a unanimous report from 
the Grand Jury, charging everyone involved with conspiracy 
against the Government. 

This was the first real big work successfully undertaken by 
Cincinnati Division of the American Protective League. It 
was carried out with thoroughness and dispatch, and nothing 
was left undone that was necessary to make the cases com- 
plete. It was wonderful training for the men who had come 
from their business to the work of the League, and it devel- 
oped some of Cincinnati Division's best operatives, who from 
that time on approached every assignment with enthusiasm 
and understanding. 

Cincinnati Division supervised the parole of enemy aliens 
from Fort Oglethorpe and the Federal jail in this district. 
These paroled men, being released from prison, were ordered 
to report at the office of Cincinnati Division once each week. 
The day selected for them to report was Saturday morning. 
Failure on the part of a paroled man to report on the date 
set resulted in a prompt investigation. So thorough was this 
supervision that Cincinnati Division could at any time put 
its hands on these paroled men, whose ranks included actors, 
draughtsmen, electrical engineers, art glass designers, chefs, 
waiters, barbers, bakers, auto experts, laborers, machinists, 
farmers, and merchants. 

Only one man refused to mend his ways and live up to the 
regulations. He is now at Fort Oglethorpe. When he first 
was released, he tried to induce the Federal authorities to 
give him permission to talk pro-German so he could "find 
others who were against this country," as he put it. He was 
informed by the Special Agent in charge of the Cincinnati 
oflSce, Department of Justice, that he could do better work by 
telling all his former associates how foolish they were, trying 
to work for the Kaiser in this country. He had claimed that 
his prison term had changed his opinion and that now he 
was "for the United States." He was instructed to tell this 
to his friends as he would thereby be doing more good. 
His term of freedom did not last long, for he was soon at his 
old tricks again. He was interned for the "duration of the 
war." 

After the German campaign against conscription in this 
country had fallen flat, the active propagandists looked for 
new fields for their malicious and insidious work. The 
notorious German propaganda alliance known as "The 
People's Council," newly formed in New York, was in its 
infancy when word of its activities was brought to Cincinnati 
by an advocate of the single tax, who up to that time had been 



THE STORY OF CINCINNATI 271 

considered an extremist, but honest in intention. He became 
associated with a certain Cincinnatian, American born of 
German descent, an attorney of some reputation. These two 
men contemplated organizing in Cincinnati a branch of The 
People's Council. 

From the beginning, the League was represented at both the 
private and secret meetings of the Council, which, for a time, 
were held in the attorney's oflSice, where four or five gath- 
ered; but as new recruits were enrolled by the Council and 
larger quarters were required, they were transferred to an 
office in Odd Fellow's Temple occupied by a former minister, 
a Socialist radical, a man whose career marked him as an 
advocate of extreme measures, and who carried with him a 
considerable following which he had organized several years 
before. Pacifism was the big keynote of its original platform. 
Without interference, however, the speakers became bold. 
The intellectuals who enlisted under its banner included a 
leading Sinn Feiner, a professor of a well-known college of 
Cincinnati, who was chairman, a pastor of the Lutheran 
Church, and, of course, the attorney and organizer. 

It was the day of the original Espionage Act, and it was 
difficult under this unamended Act to find violations; but 
some of the speeches rang with treasonable utterances. After 
months of this sort of thing, the Bureau of Investigation, 
Department of Justice, decided it was time to act. A meeting 
had been called for Friday night, at the office of the former 
pastor, at which many things were expected to happen, and on 
that night it was decided to make a search, not only of the 
meeting place, but of the homes of the leaders. The District 
Attorney asked every man present — League operatives, agents 
of the Department of Justice, deputy United States Marshals, 
and local police detectives who had been assigned to the work, 
to set their watches with his. At 8:80 o'clock prompt, the 
search, under due Warrant of law, was made in all parts of 
the city, and the papers and documents which were brought 
to the office of the United States Attorney made it impossible 
forever after for The People's Council to carry on its ne- 
farious activities. 

From that day Cincinnati was rid of openly organized anti- 
government activities. Some of the papers found, proved of 
great value to the Government. A special solicitor from the 
office of the Attorney General at Washington was assigned 
to Cincinnati to go over these papers, and the information 
which he gathered was of great use in many other cities. 
As a result of this search, the professor who had taken such 
an important part in the work of The People's Council was 



272 THE WEB 

censured by his Board, and eliminated from the local theatre 
of activities. 

The case of The People's Council was one of the high spots 
in the work of Cincinnati Division, American Protective 
League, and the record in this case is one of which it can 
well be proud. Later, the former pastor, much to the regret 
of Cincinnati Division, was taken in hand by citizens of Ken- 
tucky for special treatment. His experience on that dark 
night in the foot-hills of Kentucky evidently broke his spirit 
enough to dishearten him. He is no longer a factor in 
Bolshevism in Cincinnati. 

After the reorganization of Cincinnati Division had been 
effected, to conform to the new plan of the National Directors, 
Chief Gerson J. Brown decided that it would be good policy 
to keep in close touch with the fifteen hundred male enemy 
aliens in Hamilton County. Accordingly, after fully consid- 
ering the matter, he organized the Enemy Alien Bureau. The 
operatives were instructed as to all regulations governing 
these aliens, so that they could give advice whenever called 
upon by their charges, who did not know just what the 
Government expected of them. All delinquents were taken 
to the office of the Marshal by American Protective League 
members and made to complete their registration. Following 
out their instructions, American Protective League members 
fully explained to the aliens the object of their visit and just 
what their privileges were under the regulations. In a ma- 
jority of the cases, it was found that the alien really had never 
fully understood what the Government regulations were. 

Many peculiar situations were found. In several cases it 
developed that aliens, who had passes issued by the Marshal 
permitting them to go to their places of employment and 
return by the most direct route, lived above the store in which 
they worked. Arrangements were made with the Marshal 
whereby these men, when found worthy, were given permits 
entitling them to enjoy more privileges. Others were found 
who went direct to their work, and on returning in the 
evening, feared to go out of the house. Others would not 
go to church, fearful that they would be arrested and interned. 

There were also cases of men who were in business which 
made it necessary to go into zones not mentioned in their 
permits. Many other odd cases, too numerous to mention, 
were found. All were taken up separately with the Marshal, 
and where the League records showed that the alien was trying 
to obey the regulations, necessary permits were issued. 

There were found by American Protective League operatives 
aliens who wanted to become citizens but who did not know 



THE STORY OF CINCINNATI 273 

what to do. Others had tried to pass examinations in court, 
but failed. All these were sent to citizenship schools and ' 
now are on the road to becoming desirable citizens. The work 
of the Bureau has been such that many aliens now have a 
different opinion of what it means to live in a country where 
all men who behave themselves have an equal chance. In 
one day, after citizenship schools were opened in Cincinnati, 
the Enemy Alien Bureau issued over two hundred permits to 
aliens who desired to gain knowledge which would permit 
them to apply for the necessary papers. 

This close supervision also forestalled attempts by agents 
of the Kaiser to induce aliens to commit acts against this 
Government, if they were so inclined. No meetings could be 
held without an American Protective League member hearing 
of it, as they visited the alien at his home and place of 
employment at irregular intervals, and never less than once 
a month. 

After the war, there will be many, now classed as enemy 
aliens, who will thank Cincinnati Division for having helped 
them at a critical time when they were floundering about 
under regulations which they did not understand, and feared 
to ask anyone how to become loyal citizens of this country. 
Of the many curious cases Cincinnati handled, we may re- 
port at least one, which shows how well the A. P. L. sometimes 
took care of a inan who didn't deserve it. 

An emergency telephone call came to the office of the 
American Protective League from an official of one of the 
largest trust companies in the city, to send an operative to 
the bank as quickly as possible. The two men who answered 
the call found they had what appeared to be a German agent 
in prospect. 

During the afternoon a telegram came to the bank from the 
Empire Trust Company, New York, authorizing it to place 

$25,000 to the credit of Frank K . K , on his 

arrival at the bank, seemed to be a man about fifty-five years 
of age, typically German, with all the Hindenburg ear-marks. 
An over-anxiety to display his naturalization papers in proving 
his identity led the bank officials to put him off until they had 
been able to communicate with the League. He had given his 
room number at the Gibson Hotel, and with this information 
in hand and a code message to the New York Division to 
investigate at that end, the scene shifted to the hotel. 

His room was searched but absolutely nothing was found 
that could possibly throw light on the use he intended to make 
of the money, or the purpose of his visit to Cincinnati. He 
was "covered" that night by operatives of the League, and 



274 THE WEB 

on the following day was taken to the office of the Special 
Agent in charge, and there questioned for two hours, without 

his disclosing anything of importance. K finally told 

his story, and from this point on the plot quickly unravels. 

He was born near Hanover, Germany, emigrated to America 
at the age of sixteen, settled in New York, married, and was 
naturalized at the age of twenty-two. Three children blessed 
his union. He was a stone-mason by trade for ten years, 
after his marriage; then he entered the contracting line and 
continued in it for some eighteen years, later removing to 
East Orange, N. J., where for some five years he operated a 
saloon and road house, later retiring from business and re- 
moving to West Hoboken, N. J. 

After a severe siege of rheumatism, he was ordered by his 
physician to Mount Clemens, Michigan, early in the spring 
of 1918. At that resort he came in contact with two very 
affable gentlemen, "Fred B. Grant" and "Jack Connel." They 
made a lavish display of wealth and finally were successful in 
getting him to ask where these large amounts came from, 
whereupon Grant, who was the spokesman of the two, told 

K he was a wealthy coal operator of West Virginia and 

that he had a special system of playing the races. After 

taking K behind one of the buildings at Mount Clemens, 

he swore him to secrecy, and "let him in" on his get-rich- 
quick plan. 

The party left Mount Clemens and went to the Vendome 
Hotel, Newport, Ky. They took K to a supposed pool- 
room and in less than a week he had won upwards of twenty- 
five thousand dollars in bets, whereupon the proprietor of the 
pool-room told him that he could not withdraw this money, 
under the laws of the State of Kentucky, unless he had an 

equal amount on deposit in the State. K told his 

daughter in Hoboken that he must have twenty-five thousand 
dollars to complete a business deal. He put up some of the 
money himself, and she secured the rest by a loan from the 
Empire Trust Co. Again the shuttle moved back to Cin- 
cinnati, where he arrived on Monday, August 5, 1918, and 

the League came to his rescue. K was now convinced 

that he was marked for a victim, and he did all he could to 
help land his supposed friends. All these were taken and the 
prisoners were held in $15,000 bond. They were notorious 
confidence men! 

The pool-room was found with its complete telephone and 
telegraph outfit, which was not connected with any outside 
line. The money which Kaiser saw in this pool-room was 
paper cut from a New York Telephone directory to the size 



THE STORY OF CINCINNATI 275 

of a dollar bill. This paper was placed in stacks of probably 
four or five incbes thick, with a hundred dollar bill placed 
on top and a hundred dollar bill on the bottom. The 

"money" lay around in great profusion. K stated with 

bulging eyes that he saw "at least a million dollars in this 
room." At least, the A. P. L. saved him $25,000 by taking him 
for a Cincinnati German spy! 



CHAPTER IX 

THE STORY OF DAYTON ^ 

Aircraft-Center Well Cared For — Midnight and All's 
Well — Some Stories of the A. P. L. and the Melting Pot — 
Possible and Impossible Citizens. 

The thriving city of Dayton, Ohio, is one of the best 
known towns of the size in the Union. In some way the 
idea has gone abroad that Dayton is up-to-date, modern and 
advanced alike in industrial, civic and social ways. There 
surely is no reason to alter that belief from the story of the 
A. P. L. turned in from Dayton. An additional interest 
attaches to the report from this industrial capital because 
of the fact that it has always been a sort of a capital of indus- 
trial enterprise, and has been known as one of the points 
of manufacture of Government aeroplane material. 

The large foreign element gave rise to 661 disloyalty cases 
and made necessary 269 instances of persuasiveness in Lib- 
erty Bond matters. For the War Department there were 
handled 1,681 slacker cases and 1,078 other cases under the 
Selective Service Act, with 387 cases of deserters and 241 
character and loyalty examinations. The total number of 
investigations was 6,118. Many of the local " case stories " 
show that Ohio still has her claim to be called a center of 
pro-German sentiment, but the A. P. L. did fine work in 
the reclamation of such citizen material as was worth re- 
claiming — some of it was not worth while. The American 
Protective League has been the best and almost the first real 
Immigration Board this country ever knew, and the one 
great need of America to-day is a wise and wholly fearless 
combing out of the aliens. 

Mr. George S. Blanchard was first Chief of the Dayton 
Division. In the early days of April, 1917, he was talking 
with a friend from St. Louis and during the conversation 
asked him what he was doing toward the progress of the 

276 



THE STORY OF DAYTON 277 

big war. His friend replied that he had gone into the Amer- 
ican Protective League, which had just been organized in 
St. Louis. The remark set him to thinking that probably 
an organization of this kind could be effected in Dayton. The 
League at that time was in a very primitive state. That is 
to say, the desire to assist the Department of Justice was 
there, but neither the League nor the Department of Justice 
had yet been able to work out the best method by which inex- 
perienced citizens could assist in Federal investigations. Mr. 
Blanchard visited the divisions of the League at Columbus, 
Ohio, Chicago, San Francisco, New York City and other 
places, and called a number of times for conferences at Na- 
tional Headquarters. The mode of conducting operations as 
determined by experience and observation of the work carried 
out by other divisions and as directed by National Head- 
quarters was as follows : Alien Enemy ; Pro-German ; Draft 
Board Matters; Vice and Liquor; Military Cooperation; 
Food and Fuel; Suburban; War Eisk Allotments; Head- 
quarters; Flying Squadron; Character Investigations. 

The general direction of the work was made by the Chief. 
The work was then carried out by ten different divisions, 
each governed by a Captain with as many Lieutenants and 
operatives as his work demanded. Later came the general 
division of all workers into two classes — Investigation and 
Information. The captains, lieutenants and active members 
were taken from the investigators. In October, 1918, Mr. 
Blanchard resigned as Chief of the Dayton Division to enlist 
in the Motor Transport Corps of the United States Army, 
being succeeded by Mr. Frank Schwilk, who carried on the 
work very successfully. 

During a war drive, an operative. No. 161, called on a Mr. 

B , who had refused absolutely to give a cent, although 

financially able to contribute. Operative reports: I ques- 
tioned him as to why he would not give, and he replied : 

" Why should I give? I don't live here anyhow. My 
body belongs to God and He told me not to give. ' ' 

" That's all right," replied the operative, " but you have 
citizenship here, have you not ? " 

" No. I vote in Heaven. You can take me and place me 
in jail, but Christ will take care of me." 

" If the Germans came down the street and were about 



278 THE WEB 

to strike down your children and take away your wife, what 
would you do, — sit down and allow it ? " 

"I could not raise a hand against them because God tells 
me not to strike my enemies, so the Germans could do as they 
saw fit." 

" Religious crank — what's the use? " asks the operative. 

An old man and his wife, both German, were reported to 
the A. P. L. one day last summer as being pro-German and 
Lieutenant No. 177 was assigned to the case. He called on 
the old couple and found them very German indeed — so 
much so, in fact, that their niece was produced to act as 
interpreter. The old man, when he realized the object of 
the visit, became greatly agitated, and trembling like an 
aspen leaf, he hurriedly produced his naturalization papers 
and protested that three times had he foresworn the Kaiser. 
At last, as final proof of loyalty to his adopted land, the 
old man displayed some sheets of manuscript — gospel songs, 
which he himself had written in his mother tongue ! At this 
point his wife, who had been as distressed as her husband 
over the interview, could restrain herself no longer, 

' ' Ach no ! " she spluttered. ' ' No ! Ve are not Chermans. 
Ve are not Chermans ! Ve are Christians ! Ve are Chris* 
tians! " 

Operative No. 113 reports the details of a case which 
has in it endless possibilities of mischief : 

There was held In Dayton, Ohio, during the summer of 
1918, the national meeting of Automotive Engineers, and at the 
A. P. L. luncheon that day it was reported that a German from 
a nearby city, who was an associate member of the Automotive 
Engineers, was registered in Dayton and would attend the 
meetings of the convention. From the history we had of 
this gentleman from the file? of the A. P. L., he was undoubt- 
edly a dangerous citizen and one who should not have the 
opportunity of inspecting and carefully examining the Liberty 
Motors and many other new ideas which were being shown 
at the convention. I offered to investigate the situation, took 
the information which was in our hands, got in touch with 
the head of the Aircraft Production Board here and was 
immediately sent to the convention, where I conferred with 
the Secretary, explaining to him in detail the facts. We 
found that our man was not registered at the convention, 
and we made arrangements with the registrar that as soon 



THE STORY OF DAYTON 279 

as he made his appearance, some one should shadow him 
and see that he did not have access to any information or 
special displays, and that he should be kept under surveil- 
lance during his entire time in our city. I knew where he 
was stopping and kept him under surveillance. We frus- 
trated any plan he might have had to gain confidential infor- 
mation. All this was done without his having any idea that 
anyone knew his history or his reason for coming to the 
convention. 

One of the most interesting cases investigated was that of 
two families, Mr. A. and Mr. B., who lived on the same 
street. Mr. A. died, leaving one son of draft age, the main 
support of his mother. He filed no exemption claim, was 
inducted into the United States Army, and is now serving 
in France. In the family of Mr. B., father and mother were 
both living, both born in Germany. They had a son of 
draft age, who was inducted into the United States Army 
and sent to Camp Sherman, where he stayed for three 
months and was then discharged because of flat feet. He 
came home and went to work at his trade as a plumber. Mr. 
B., Sr., owned the house wherein the widow of A. lived, and 
immediately upon the return of B., Jr., proceeded to raise 
the widow's rent and put her out of the house. The Red 
Cross had been paying the widow's rent, but finally legal 
notice was served allowing her ten days in which to vacate 
the house. 

An A. P. L. operative took the matter up with a local 
attorney and arranged for the protection of the widow in 
case force should be used to eject her ; he then called on Mr. 
B., Sr., again and began praising him regarding his suc- 
cess in life, his unusual ability, and so on. He finally asked 
him this question: 

" Mr. B., if you were in America and your mother in 
Grermany, and some one were annoying and abusing her and 
trying to force her out in the street, what would you do ? " 

" I would fight," he said. 

Then the operative reversed the question and cited the 
other young man who was fighting for his country, and some 
one trying to put his mother out into the street. Mr. B. 
silently looked down at his feet and then said : 

" You have proven to me my great mistake. I have done 



280 THE WEB 

wrong and am going to make everything right." He dis- 
missed his case in court, apologized to the widow, and from 
all recent observation, is trying to be a truly American 
citizen. 

Another operative reports : 

During the spring of 1918 there were rumors in the city 

of Dayton that Mr. B , a hardware merchant, American 

born but of German parentage, was very pro-German in his 
talk and attitude, and as I had known the man for some 
years, I made it a point to get his viewpoint as to the war 
and his opinion regarding the United States entering the war. 

Mr. B was very guarded in everything he said, but 

would always intimate just enough to arouse the anger of a 
good American citizen, and while he would not make any 
statements that could be considered as absolutely unpatriotic 
or dangerous, yet it was evident that at heart he was pro- 
German and was quietly spreading propaganda in favor of 
Germany. I talked to him until I found that I was getting a 
little too warm around the collar and would have to move on. 

One morning I was quite interested when B advised 

me that he was going to enter a certain Officers' Training 
Camp and would leave on a certain fixed date, two weeks later. 
I pumped him as well as I could to get all the facts, which 
within an hour's time I communicated to headquarters. The 
information was communicated to headquarters of the OflBcers' 

Training Camp and B was advised by the proper officer 

that he need not report. What reason they gave him I did 
not know! 

I called on B about a week later and expressed to 

him my surprise that he was still here and asked why he had 
not gone to camp. He replied that he was too busy to get 
away and would wait until a later period. This excuse, of 
course, was all right with me, but he did not know that 
some one had been on his trail and kept him from becoming 
well acquainted with the inside workings of training camp 
activities, and removed the possibility of his slipping across 
his German propaganda. 

Dayton sends in another story, worth pondering and re- 
membering by every American. This book is written for 
Americans. The story will show what other races we some- 
times harbor. The man's name is given. 

Captains No. 145 and No. 245 were given an assignment 



THE STORY OF DAYTON 281 

entitled " Frank "Weiss, alien enemy; Refusal to Register." 
The story, as told by them, is as follows : 

Having been informed that Weiss was a dangerous char- 
acter, we proceeded to his place of employment and asked for 
an interview, which was granted by the superintendent of 
the concern. We found Weiss busily engaged at his work, 
told him our business and were informed that we could "go to" 
so far as he was concerned, that he had not registered and 
did not intend to do so, although he had been given seven 
days in which to make up his mind or go to jail. We did 
not argue the question with him but immediately took him 
before the Special Agent in charge of the Department of 
Justice, Harold L. Scott. Mr. Scott asked him what his 
objection was to registering with his Local Board, as the law 
required, to which Weiss answered: 

"I have registered with the police and that is suflScient. 
I'm not a citizen of this country, I'm a subject of the Kaiser, 
and there's one thing sure — after this war is over, I'm sure 
going to leave this country. I've thought it all over and 
that's what I'm going to do." 

U. S. Marshal Devanney happened to be present and ex- 
plained to Weiss that the best thing for him to do was to 
register, telling: him that he did not blame him for maintaining 
his allegiance to his own country; that he admired a man 
always for doing what he thought was right, but that he must 
conform to the laws of this country governing alien enemies. 

All through the interview, Weiss's attitude was one of 
defiance, but he thought the matter over for a few minutes 
and then stated that he was willing to register with the Local 
Board. He was escorted to the Board by No. 145 and the 
Chairman asked: 

"Mr. Weiss, where do you work and what salary do you 
earn?" 

"I work at B Machine Company and get eighty-five 

cents an hour; with overtime I make $100.00 per week." 

"Making such a salary as that, Mr. Weiss, don't you think 
you owe this country something? You could not possibly 
earn that much money in one week in Germany, could you?" 

"No," replied Weiss, "but I'm a skilled mechanic and that's 
what they pay in this country, and I'm entitled to it." 

"Yes," replied the Chairman, "but in view of the fact that 
this country affords you such good wages and allows you to 
send your children to the public schools, don't you think it 
your duty to at least comply with all the laws governing 
alien enemies such as yoii?" 



282 THE WEB 

To this Weiss made no reply, but by constant questioning 
tbe questionnaire was finally filled out and Weiss was asked 
to "swear" to it, to which he replied: 

"I will take no oath. I do not believe in a God, and refuse 
to recognize him in any way whatsoever." 

His convictions in this matter were respected. He was 
allowed to affirm, and was then taken to the Miami County 
jail. After his incarceration it developed that two of Weiss's 
children were living with a Mrs. Smith in Dayton, Ohio — two 
bright little girls — and that there would have to be some 
provision made for them, as Mrs. Smith was simply boarding 
the children and was unable to keep them unless their board 
was paid. Mrs. Smith wrote a letter to Weiss setting forth 
the facts, to which he replied that she should "take the chil- 
dren to the office of the United States Marshal and leave them 
there." 

Mrs. Smith brought the children to the office of the United 
States Marshal, who made arrangements with the Juvenile 
Court to place the children in the Orphans' Home, where 
they were to be cared for until Weiss was released. Weiss 
was arrested on October 24, 1918, and on account of good 
behavior, was granted a parole on November 14 and was 
released from the Miami County jail on December 5, 1918. 
Immediately upon being granted his freedom, after having 
complied with all the rules and regulations governing his 
parole, he went to the Juvenile Court and obtained release 
papers for his two children, who were confined in the Orphans' 
Home, the Judge of the Juvenile Court having been notified 
that Weiss's behavior since his incarceration had been first- 
class and it was thought that he really had a change of heart. 
But it was the same old story of "Kamerad! Kamerad! " As 
soon as Weiss had obtained the release papers for his two 
children he presented himself at the institution where they 
were being cared for and demanded them immediately. 

"They are in school now," replied Mrs. Hartrum, Matron 
of the Home, "but will be dismissed in about twenty minutes. 
Won't you be seated and wait for them?" 

"No," he replied, "I'm tired of this damned dirty red tape. 
I want them right now." 

Pauline, the ofiice girl, hearing Weiss's remark and fearing 
trouble for the teacher, ran to the school and related what 
she had heard, so that in case Weiss came to the school to 
demand the children, the teacher would be prepared for him. 
Pauline was right, as Weiss refused to wait for the coming 
of his children and left Mrs. Hartrum, going to the school 
and demanding that the children be turned over to him imme- 



THE STORY OF DAYTON 283 

dlately. He was told that school was just being dismissed 
and that he should wait at the door for the children and 
could get them as they came out. When he at last obtained 
possession of the children he took them toward the Home 
and was met at the gate by Pauline, who told him that Mrs. 
Hartrum had requested that he bring the children in that she 
might change their clothes, as they were wearing the uniform 
of the Home. Weiss struck at Pauline, saying: "I'll knock 
you down and slap your face if you don't keep still." 

Pauline rushed into the house to tell Mrs. Hartrum and 
Weiss followed closely behind her. 

"I want my children and I want them now," said Weiss. 

"You can have them as' soon as I take them to their room 
and change their clothes," replied Mrs. Hartrum. 

"You will not take them from this room. I'm G d d 

tired of this red tape business, I'm not going to wait, and 
don't you dare to take these children from this office." 

Mrs. Hartrum replied that she would take' them to their 
room and change their clothes and then bring them back. 
Whereupon Weiss pushed Mrs. Hartrum backwards and she 
fell into a chair, her head striking a table nearby, and he 
then struck her as she lay on the floor, took his children and 
hurried down the street to a Fifth Street car. 

Mrs. Hartrum screamed. Her cries were heard by an at- 
tendant in the yard, who came to her assistance, but Weiss 
had fled. The attendant got into an automobile and followed 
the street car, and when Weiss alighted uptown with his 
children, he was arrested by the traffic policeman, the story 
of Weiss having been previously related to him by the at- 
tendant. 

Weiss was taken to police headquarters, the proper author- 
ities were notified, and after a thorough investigation his 
parole was annulled and he was again committed to the 
Federal jail. Investigation showed that Weiss was really an 
anarchist at heart, and on the same day the assault was com- 
mitted upon Mrs. Hartrum, the following advertisement ap- 
peared in the Dayton Journal: 

WANTED — Dayton men and women out of 
■work to send names and addresses to 
FRANK WEISS, Post Office Box 387. to 
form a union to get Justice to make tlie 
American workman's home a decent place 
to live in. 

A few days later the good word came to us that Weiss had 
been interned at Fort Oglethorpe until after the war, and 
win be deported at that time. 



284 THE WEB 

If a few hundred thousand more went with Herr Weiss, 
this country would be yet better off. His attitude is not un- 
usual — America is simply a place for making easy money, 
but Germany is the real place for a man ! How should we 
feel about letting in a few hundred thousands of the recently 
demobilized German army? It is reported in the European 
despatches that many of them are planning to come to Amer- 
ica as soon as possible. The ablest publicists of the day agree 
that American immigration must be sharply restricted. Some 
extremists believe that practically all immigration should 
be stopped for a term of ten years. 



CHAPTER X 

THE STOHY OF DETROIT 

History of the Great Munition City — Clock-Like Mechan- 
ism of A. P. L. — How the "War Plants were Protected — 
Guarding the Neck of the Great Lakes Bottle. 

It often has been said that the shipping of the Great 
Lakes, all of which passes through the Detroit River, is 
greater in annual tonnage than that which goes through the 
Suez Canal or the Panama Canal. A continual procession 
of ore ships and carriers of other freight passes by the water 
front of Detroit, going and coming on the clear, blue, rapid 
flood of the river which may be called the " neck of the 
bottle " of the Great Lakes. 

Obviously, such a situation, collecting the riches of an 
empire, is one offering its own purely geographical menace. 
An unwatched enemy could sit on Detroit River front and 
destroy untold billions in property in the course of a month. 
But no such enemy did any such thing in this war. 

Speaking of Detroit itself, without reference to its geo- 
graphical situation, it is to be said that it had as many muni- 
tion contracts as any city in the United States — Detroit 
contracts for war material and munitions ran over $400,- 
000,000. These great war plants attracted the attention of 
men hostile to this country. No one can tell how much harm 
was wished against such enterprises by aliens who only 
awaited their opportunity. The point is that this twenty 
miles of water front of Detroit, these miles of railroad tracks 
for switching facilities, these many great buildings where 
manufacturing went on, were kept free from any destructive 
enemy activity. That is a great story of itself, and far 
greater than it would have been had it to record some great 
disaster — interesting and thrilling, but none the less a disas- 
ter. Detroit had no disasters. Instead, it had the A. P. L. 

Detroit division began operations in the Spring of 1917, 

285 



286 THE WEB 

and at first was financed by the payment of a one dollar 
initiation fee by each member. This continued until De- 
cember, 1917, when it was seen that this division could not 
go on unless better financed. A meeting of officers of promi- 
nent manufacturers of Detroit was held, and these assured 
the division better quarters and competent finances. A 
committee went to Washington to see the Attorney General, 
with the result that the offices of the Department of Justice 
and those of the League were established close together. 

Mr. Fred M. Randall, the first Chief, resigned in May, 
1918, and was replaced by Mr. Frank H. Croul, former 
Commissioner of Police, who took the oath of Chief not 
only for Detroit but also for the County of Wayne. He 
started in by reorganizing the work. 

Since the Detroit contracts for war material were so 
enormous — Detroit claims they were greater in volume than 
for any other city m the country — a division was organ- 
ized under the name *' Plants Protection Department." A 
thorough covering of each plant was made and a captain of 
the A. P. L. was stationed in each factory, where he had 
entire supervision and reported direct to the Plants Pro- 
tection Department at the League's main office. That this 
system worked well may be shown by the records. Detroit 
was practically free of any destruction of war material. 
Several attempts to blow up plants were frustrated. It was 
not unusual for a man to be brought in from the plants for 
an interview, and many such cases were turned over to the 
Department of Justice and District Attorney's office. The 
dynamiter and other alien enemies were held down hitless. 

A Pro-German Department was organized with captains, 
lieutenants and operatives under charge of an Inspector. 
The Inspector assigned all complaints, took all reports and 
returned them to the Record Department where the original 
papers were attached, and then forwarded them to the Pro- 
German Committee room where they were examined and 
passed upon. 

A third department was called the Selective Service, its 
work being to attend to the local boards of Detroit, of which 
there were twenty-seven, exclusive of those in the district 
and Wayne County. A unique manner of handling delin- 
quents was inaugurated — and why all states did not adopt 



THE STORY OF DETROIT 287 

the same system is a mystery. This bureau was kept open 
to receive delinquents twenty-four hours a day and handled 
thousands of draft cases. 

Department No, 4 handled all personal cases, such as ap- 
plicants for war service or for commissions. Department No. 
5 had the soldiers' allotment cases. The last of the depart- 
ments was the Emergency. This department held a group 
of experienced and reliable operatives who held themselves 
in readiness to obey any call, whether during business hours 
or in the cold, gray dawn. Four shifts were worked by 
squads, six hours each, so that no matter what time a tele- 
phone rang there was someone on the desk. Emergency De- 
partment was of great service to the local draft boards, from 
whose shoulders A. P. L. took all the responsibility. It very 
often apprehended men who were ready to make a quick get- 
away. 

In connection with Plants Protection work, there was a 
system whereby the plant sent to the main office each day 
a personnel card saying that such and such a man had 
applied for employment, that he had registered in such and 
such a town and that his classification was as shown on the 
card. Then the central office would write to the man's local 
board asking about him. If he was wanted, a complaint 
was made out against him and the Emergency squad was 
ordered to locate him and take him at once to the Bureau of 
Delinquents. The number of daily notices sent in by dif- 
ferent boards all through the United States several times 
ran into three figures. 

Often the Department of Justice would want emergency 
help to cover a suspect who was on his way to Detroit under 
charge of some D. J. agent. Detroit operatives would meet 
the train and keep surveillance until the party left the city. 
In the matter of raids on dance halls and theatres for evaders 
and slackers, the Emergency Division also gave great assist- 
ance to the police. It often took to the central headquarters 
hundreds of men who could not show proper credentials. 

A. P. L. Detroit Division took under charge also the tre- 
mendous tonnage of the Detroit River. Operators boarded 
every boat going up or down the river, and each man on 
that boat was examined as to his credentials and citizenship. 
A man might be allowed to go on his trip under guarantee 



288 THE WEB 

of the captain, but in the meantime if there was any doubt 
the wires were kept hot further along the Lakes to see if the 
man was wanted. Several were apprehended in this way at 
ports of call on information furnished by Detroit. 

Another A. P. L. custom was to investigate each actor's 
card as he appeared at any theatre, and if there was any 
doubt, wire his board giving his description and asking for 
his status. Several alien actors were landed in that way — 
who were bad actors. They could not get away because they 
were booked. A. P. L. never waited, but always was on 
hand at the first performance of a company. These investi- 
gations furnished several theatrical men for Uncle Sam's 
Army. 

The division worked to protect the Government and to 
protect the people also. There were a number of cases where 
a man and wife were reconciled; where a man and woman 
had been living together without marriage and where a mar- 
riage was performed; where a soldier's dependents were in 
destitute circumstances and did not get the allotment. Domes- 
tic tragedies such as these ran into hundreds, and quite often 
the division was able to straighten them out. Many a man 
was considered a slacker who had tried every means of get- 
ting into the Army. Many a man looked healthy, though 
the Army regulations disqualified him. Such men were, as a 
rule, sensitive as to their physical condition. The division 
made things clearer and made them easier in many cases. 

There were many ways in which the division proved itself 
useful on a common-sense and practical business basis. For 
instance, a soldier, gone to France, left his home in charge 
of a friend who had agreed to rent it, keep up the improve- 
ments, and so on. A. P. L. found that the friend had col- 
lected the rent for months, but did not keep up the improve- 
ments and did not pay the taxes. It was found he had col- 
lected several hundred dollars and had not paid out anything. 
He happened to own a house of his own, so he mortgaged 
that and paid over the money he had collected. A. P. L. 
arranged with one of the banks to act as trustee for the 
soldier. The taxes were paid and the rents are now being 
placed to the credit of the soldier. If it had not been for 
the A. P. It., the soldier would have found his property badly 
depreciated on his return. 



THE STORY OF DETROIT 289 

This gives the barest, and, indeed, a most vague idea of 
the many and well-organized activities of this division. As 
a machine of protection it was deadly efficient. No place in 
the country had more to lose than had Detroit. It was a 
vulnerable point. It was the armor and weapons, offensive 
and defensive, of the A. P. L. which guarded it. The 
manufacturers of Detroit furnished cash for the A. P. L. 
The individual citizens of Detroit did not pay a cent, nor 
did the United States Government. Recognizing this un- 
selfish work of thousands of its citizens, the Detroit Patriotic 
Fund Committee in July, 1918, made an unsolicited grant 
of sufficient funds to keep the division going for another 
year. 

Detroit Division had a total of 30,056 complaints entered 
on the files. Of members there were enrolled in all 3,903. 
To each of these in good standing there was given an en- 
graved testimonial, his sole pay for months of time given 
free to his country: 

THE WAYNE COUNTY DIVISION presents this testi- 
monial to in appreciation of your 

volunteer enlistment, as a member without remuneration, for 
the assignment to any duties that might arise in connection 
with the requirements of the Government for the duration of 
the Great War. We especially desire to thank you for your 
patriotic services in making this Division so valuable an 
adjunct to the general success attained by the Organization 
during the strenuous period just passed. 

FRANK H. CROUL, Chief. 

The total of 30,056 investigations were distributed as 
follows : 

Department of Justice cases : Alien enemy activities, male 
500, female 400, total 900; Espionage Act, disloyalties and 
sedition, 2,000; sabotage, 1,000; anti-military, etc., 250; 
propaganda, (a) word of mouth, 5,000, (b) printed matter, 
25, total, 5,025; radical organizations, I. W, W., People's 
Council, etc., 100; bribery, 150; naturalization applicants, 
550; impersonating officers, 25; other investigations, 1,000, 
total, 1,575 ; total Department of Justice cases, 11,000. 

War Department cases: Counter-espionage for Military 
Intelligence, 800 ; Selective Service Regulations. 15,756 ; work 



290 THE WEB 

or fight order, 300; character and loyalty, (a) civilian ap- 
plicants for overseas, 500, (b) applicants for commissions, 
400, total 900; camp desertions and absent without leave, 
600; total, 18,356. 

Other 'branches of the Government : Food and Fuel Ad- 
ministrations, 200; Treasury Department, War Eisk insur- 
ance allotments, etc., 500. Grand total of investigations 
listed January 1, 1919, 30,056. 

Detroit Division assisted the Bureau of Delinquents and 
the Police Department in several raids for slackers at which 
about 5,000 or 6,000 men were examined for registration 
cards. Those who had registered and qualified are not in- 
eluded above. They would number about 5,000 more. The 
division also gave material assistance to the police and fire 
departments, especially during the armistice days, when from 
four hundred to five hundred operatives were on special 
duty. 

It would be rather bootless to delve deep into the indi- 
vidual records of a city where the totals are so large, but 
a few of the Detroit cases might be given in passing. One 
of these had to do with an alleged attempt of a draft board 
official to obtain money from a registrant for keeping him 
out of the service. That complaint came in at noon. By 
four o'clock of the same afternoon Lieutenant No. 610 had 
the facts. That was Saturday, and Monday was Armistice 
Day. Tuesday morning the matter came up before a judge 
of the Federal Court. A thirteen months' sentence at Leav- 
enworth penitentiary was imposed the third day after the 
complaint came in. 

This accuation was that a clerk, S. W (the name is 

unpronounceable) of Board No. 6 had told a registrant, 

G , apparently of the same nationality as himself, 

that for a certain sum he would keep him out of the draft. 
He was to appear between noon and one o 'clock on November 

9 and make the payment. Operative says- he told G 's 

employers to pay him the nine dollars due him, and he took 

the numbers of the bills. "I told G to come with me 

to Local Board No. 6," he says, "and see this clerk whose 
name I did not know, and if he took the money to report to 
me on the first floor of the building. In the meantime I 
informed one of the members of our Delinquent Board of 



THE STORY OF DETROIT 291 

my intentions, with a view to forestalling any later accusa- 
tion that the money had been 'planted' by the clerk. In a 

little while G appeared and said he had paid the 

money to the clerk, who demanded that he bring in some 
more money the following Monday, as that was not enough. 

I then went to Local Board No. 6 with G , who pointed 

out this clerk as the one who had taken the money^ I took 
this clerk into a side room, accompanied by the others. He 
acknowledged he had the money and that it had been given 

him by G . I told him to turn it over to a member of 

the Board of Delinquents, and we verified the bills with 
the description and numbers on the list already made out. 
I then took the suspect to the Special Agent's office, where 
we obtained a signed confession from him. He was taken 
before the District Attorney and held for the grand jury. 
The grand jury met November 11 at 2 :00 P. M. and returned 
an indictment. On Tuesday morning he was arraigned be- 
fore the judge, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to Leav- 
enworth penitentiary. ' ' 

Detroit had an interesting alien enemy ease in that of 

Fred G , escaped petty officer of the Germany Navy 

who had been working in Detroit for six months under the 
name of Walter B . He was an attendant in a sani- 
tarium and somehow seemed a little worth suspicion, although 
nothing he said could be looked on as much out of the way. 
The man who reported the case was used as a stool pigeon. 
At length they met in a hotel under the pretense of an inven- 
tion which would be useful to any one of the nations in the 
war. A dictaphone was put in the room where they were to 
meet, and four A. P. L. operatives were in the next room at 
the other end of the instrument. There were three such 
meetings, and finally sufficient evidence was secured to war- 
rant D. J. in arresting the man. The final play was made 
the next Saturday night, when he was arrested at the hotel 
and locked up until Monday. This man had first papers 
issued to him under the name of Walter B , as a Hol- 
lander, and when brought before D. J. on Monday, he main« 
tained that he was a Hollander and had left home at an 
early age owing to brutal treatment from his father. After 
one and a half hours' work he finally broke down and gave 
up his story. He admitted that his real name was Fred 



292 THE WEB 

Gr , that he was in the German Navy and had been on 

the commerce raider Emden when that ship was driven with 
several others into Guam by the Japanese fleet. He was 
taken sick and transferred to Mare Island, California, after 
internment. After his recovery in California he escaped, 
he said, by swimming the channel to the mainland. He be- 
gan to beat his way on freight trains to various parts of the 
country. He was employed in New York for a time as 
messenger in a bank. Then. he drifted to Detroit, worked 
at various occupations in automobile factories, etc., and was 
a motorman on the street cars. This man finally opened up 
and gave the Department of Justice a line of information 
which, had the war continued longer, would have proved of 
the greatest importance. He was ordered interned by the 
United States Government. In this case the division was 
able to see the actual results of its work. There have been 
many other cases which might have turned out as well in the 
denouement, but this one seemed to begin with nothing and 
ended with good and visible results. 



CHAPTER, XI 

THE STORY OF ST. LOUIS 

How the Pro-German Was Kept Mild — Sober and Well- 
Considered Methods — A Big Secret Code Puzzle — Business 
As Usual. 

The summaries for St. Louis tell the same story of patient 
and indefatigable loyalty, resolved to hold America strictly 
American. The St. Louis story is modest, straightforward 
and convincing. It is given in substance as written by the 
Chief, Mr. G. H. Walker. 

The St. Louis division was organized on April 3, 1917. 
The initial organization was composed of sixteen companies, 
organized each under a captain and lieutenants, divided into 
professional, commercial and industrial groups, so as to em- 
brace all fields of activity. Only dependable and loyal men 
were taken into these companies, which ranged in size numer- 
ically from fifty to one hundred and twenty-five each. The 
business and financial interests of St. Louis responded gen- 
erously to the plan and made possible the marked success 
that always attended the division. 

Captains, lieutenants and operatives from the outset were 
required only to use their eyes and ears and to send in their 
reports, through their appropriate superiors, to Mr. G. H. 
Walker, the Chief of the division, who in turn submitted such 
reports to the Special Agent in Charge, Department of Jus- 
tice, at St, Louis. It became evident in the summer months 
of 1917, from the increasing number and variety of reports 
sent in, that the facilities of the Bureau of Investigation 
were wholly inadequate, and that the investigating forces of 
the Bureau would require enlargement unless the St. Louis 
Division of the American Protective League itself undertook 
active investigation of its reports, thus relieving the Bureau 
to that extent. It was the same old story of the breaking 
down of a most important branch of the Government, and 

293 



294 THE WEB 

the prompt, patriotic rallying of our American citizens in 
support. 

The decision was made, involving the opening of a suite 
of offices and the enrollment of a number of competent vol- 
unteers who could give their time to this work. Concur- 
rently with making this decision, which meant so much 
more work, the St. Louis division undertook the formation 
of a geographic organization distinct from the company or- 
ganizations, members of which were not only required to 
report all matters of interest through immediate superiors, 
but were also called upon from time to time for auxiliary 
investigation work in their respective neighborhoods. The 
district organization embraced twenty geographical divisions 
within St. Louis proper, there being from twenty-five to 
fifty operatives in each division, all of them responsible to 
a deputy inspector, who in turn was responsible to an inspec- 
tor presiding over four districts. Four districts constituted 
a zone. St. Louis County, on the west, was similarly or- 
ganized, as were East St. Louis and adjoining towns and 
villages in Illinois. In the summer of 1918, East St. Louis 
and considerable adjacent territory were separated from the 
St. Louis division and created into a distinct division, con- 
tinuing, however, in close cooperation with the St. Louis 
division. 

The increasing volume of work out of St. Louis headquar- 
ters required the active services of approximately fifty oper- 
atives, most of whom had abandoned their personal pursuits 
and were giving their entire time to the work of the League. 
In addition, two hundred and fifty men in the district organ- 
ization were being called upon, more or less regularly, to 
undertake active investigations with respect to matters aris- 
ing in their respective neighborhoods. The personnel of 
the organization was made up of loyal and self-sacrificing 
citizens in all walks of life. Much excellent service was 
rendered in investigations made at night by those who were 
unable to devote other time to the work. Each man did 
what he could. 

Cases of intense and varying interest were arising daily to 
sustain the zeal of this large body of volunteers. One of 
the most interesting involved a letter, mailed in St. Louis 
March 17, 1917, to " Mr. W. Bernkong, Berlin, Germany," 



THE STORY OF ST. LOUIS 295 

which found its way into the St. Louis headquarters and 
which appeared to be a code letter written in Greek char- 
acters and words. An inspection of this, and a close fol- 
lowing through of the case in all the hands it reached, will 
give a reader some idea of the uncanny sureness of the 
United States government experts in deciphering any sort 
of blind communication that may come before them. 

The average unskilled person could make little out of the 
original letter, which was worse than Greek. Interest in 
this puzzle deepened when it was discovered that, although 
written in Greek , characters, Greek scholars to whom it 
was submitted were unable to translate it. It was ultimately 
sent to the War College in "Washington, that House of Mys- 
tery, which in due time returned a German translation, re- 
vealing the fact that Greek letters had been adapted to the 
formation of German words. It might still have remained 
possible for the real secret of the letter to have been con- 
cealed in an unknown code — as one may learn by reference 
to the brief mention of ciphers and codes in an earlier chap- 
ter (See "Arts of the Operatives"). Therefore, a first-class 
mystery story, indeed the best detective story of all those 
the League chiefs have sent in, still remains for any wise 
doctor who can solve it. It is easier to write a " detective 
story" than it is to read a cipher and double code, because 
a story-writer knows his own answer, whereas in the other 
ease, no one laiows the real answer. 

_ This letter had been stopped in transit in France a few 
days after the entrance of the United States into the Great 
War. There seemed to be some small hope of finding a clue 
to the author through advertising it as an undelivered letter. 
While this plan was under contemplation, however, a report 
reached headquarters, from an operative, to the effect that 
while soliciting Y. M. C. A. subscriptions in a St. Louis 
office building late at night, he had surprised a citizen of 
German origin, alone in his office, who appeared to be at- 
tempting to decipher a letter with the aid of two books, seem- 
ingly code books. 

The letter was then advertised and two operatives were 
assigned to watch the appropriate window at the General 
Post Office. After a week's vigil, the clerk in charge beck- 
oned to the operatives and pointed to the retreating figure 



296 THE WEB 

ef a woman of small stature, almost wholly enveloped in 
a black shawl, and informed them that she had inquired for 
the Bemkong letter. She had said that she was not the 
author but would be glad to pay any additional postage neces- 
sary to send it on its way. In the course of this explanation 
the woman had left the building and was lost in the crowd 
on the street. It therefore became necessary to continue the 
surveillance at the Post Office in the hope of the woman's 
return. Within a week she did reappear, late in the after- 
noon, and inquired for mail under the name of a Catholic 
Sister. It was learned that she had been receiving mail 
under this name for a considerable length of time. She 
was followed for a number of blocks and was seen to enter 
a large institution conducted as a girls' rooming house. 

A woman operative of the St. Louis Division, American 
Protective League, that night, carrying a suit case, applied 
at the institution for a room, explaining that she had just 
arrived from a nearby city. She had a detailed description 
of the woman, but for a period of more than three weeks 
she was unable to find anybody in the place fitting the de- 
scription. This woman operative was then also assigned to 
the Post Office, where, in due time, the woman reappeared. 

The operative followed her to the institution, entering the 
door only a few moments behind her, and saw her enter a 
room on the second floor. A few minutes later the woman 
operative was surprised to see the suspect leave her room, 
wholly changed in appearance, the black shawl having been 
replaced by a dark sack suit and a black sailor hat. As the 
woman had that afternoon received a letter at the Post 
Office, it was suspected that, as a go-between, she would 
deliver this letter to some one. She left the building and 
boarded a street car. The woman operative entered a wait- 
ing automobile and followed. Again the mystery woman 
proved too elusive. The next morning the woman operative 
was up and on guard before daybreak and was enabled to 
trail the woman to a business establishment, where, it was 
learned, she was employed in clerical work. She was again 
dressed in the sack suit and black sailor hat, and apparently 
assumed the habit of a nun only upon inquiring at the Post 
Office for mail. 

The most thorough inquiries failed to reveal any addi- 



THE STORY OF ST. LOUIS 297 

tional evidence indicating this woman's connection with 
enemy activities, or solve the dual character she was imper- 
sonating. It was ultimately determined to take her to the 
Bureau, where she might be thoroughly interrogated, which 
was done. Her explanations were simple but unsatisfying. 
However, there was no violation of the law with which she 
could be charged, and it was necessary to permit her to go. 
She moved to another hotel where the St. Louis division 
continued to keep her under surveillance, without, however, 
throwing any further light upon the mysterious letter. Other 
apparent clues were likewise run down in vain. 

The letter bears every evidence of having been a serious 
attempt to communicate information of more or less value 
to the enemy and appears to permit of further decoding 
through the use of some additional cipher. It is by no 
means sure that the ultimate code for it will not be found 
by some expert government man in Washington. The world 
little knows what marvels of unraveling secrets is done in 
the Intelligence work of the Government. Always the battle 
goes on between those trying to make codes that cannot be 
read by an outsider and those who say they can master any 
code if given time. In any case, here is a fine detective 
story. 

Little or no successful attempt was made by St. Louis 
Division to keep the organization's work a secret, and in 
a center so large, that always is a moot question. In the 
first place, any large operations, like raids and drives cannot 
be kept secret, and in the second place, the fear created by 
the thought of hidden regulators has proved a valuable deter- 
rent, as has been shown countless times. In any case, months 
ago the local press was "playing up" the League in many 
stories that named it very frankly. Since that is true, some 
of the anecdotes collected may be given here. 

A St. Louis German, with the boastfulness which fortu- 
nately offsets much of the cunning and industry of his 
species, bragged to his sweetheart that he was a member of 
the Imperial German Secret Service. Perhaps he showed 
her the card which German spies are not supposed to show. 
She, very proud, confided to a friend her lover's distinction. 
The friend went to one of the local officials of the American 
Protective League. She had four brothers in the service. 



298 THE WEB 

three in the Army and one in the Navy, and said that if 
there was a German spy in the city the authorities should 
know it. Unfortunately, she had forgotten the man's name. 
The man 's room was raided, and evidence was unearthed that 
he was not only an unregistered enemy alien, but indeed a 
German spy. In his trunk were found firearms of the Ger- 
man army. He was promptly interned. Perhaps no sweet- 
heart should have a spy, and certainly no spy should have 
a sweetheart. 

A German who predicted the defeat of the Allies before the 
United States entered the war, persisted in his harangues 
afterwards, until a League operative went to the bank where 
he worked. The man's dismissal resulted. He continued 
at times to return to the bank, assailing some of the young 
women clerks with abuse and threats because of their loyalty 
to America. He was arrested for violating his zone permit, 
which the United States Marshal had revoked when the 
bank's notice of his dismissal was filed. Later he was in- 
terned. 

One night a party from the Naval recruiting office in St. 
Louis was seeking enlistments at a West End theater. Mov- 
ing pictures were thrown on a screen and an officer made a 
speech, in which he declared: " The Germans went through 
Belgium and France like barbarians. ' ' A stout, well-dressed 
man in the audience exploded: '* That's a damned lie! " 
Two sailors with revolvers sprang for him over the foot- 
lights, but the first to reach him were two members of the 
League, who, although they had gone to the theater only for 
amusement, had not forgotten their duties. After a sharp 
tussle the disturber was overpowered. He protested indig- 
nantly that he was an American citizen, but refused stub- 
bornly to give any other information about himself. Borrow- 
ing an automobile, the League operatives and sailors took 
him to a police station and notified the Federal authorities. 
Search of the prisoner's effects showed that he was an unnat- 
uralized German subject, though he had lived in the United 
States for fourteen years. He was interned for the dura- 
tion of the war. Of such is the glorious Kingdom of 
Deutschland. 

A client went to the office of his attorney, and after their 
business was concluded, tarried for a chat, in which he 



THE STORY OF ST. LOUIS 299 

dropped the information that he had heard a pro-German 
say: " Every American child should have its neck wrung 
as soon as it is born. The German army could rule the 
United States better than Wilson — and it will, too. ' ' The 
lawyer obtained from him the name and address of the of- 
fender, and the names of witnesses who heard his remarks. 
After the client had gone, the attorney, being a member of 
the League, made out a report on a blank form supplied 
by the Department of Justice, and sent it to the Captain of 
his company, signing it with his number. The lawyer's 
duty ended here, for he belonged to one of the occupational 
units and was pledged to give inf ormatioil but not to investi- 
gate. The Captain took the report to League headquarters, 
where the officials approved it and sent it to the local office 
of the Department of Justice, Bureau of Information. It 
was 0. K. 'd there as a matter worth looking into, whereupon 
the League called upon its other arm, the investigators. They 
went out to obtain affidavits to corroborate the hearsay in- 
formation first turned in by the lawyer. In this roundabout 
way was secured evidence to be placed before the Attorney 
General. You can never tell, even if you are a pro-German 
and have to spill over, when you are also going to spill, upset 
or overturn the legumes known in common parlance as the 
beans. 

A naturalization department was organized on the initia- 
tive of the St. Louis office, which was followed in other 
divisions. On May 18, Congress repealed the law prohib- 
iting the naturalization of aliens if they had filed declara- 
tions of intention not less than two or more than seven 
years before the United States entered the war. That is, 
citizenship was possible under these conditions, providing the 
applicant established his good moral character, his attach- 
ment to the Constitution, his belief in organized govern- 
ment, his ability to speak English and the genuineness of 
his wish to become a citizen and renounce forever all alle- 
giance to any foreign Power. About eight hundred persons 
in the St. Louis district, according to local press data, sought 
to avail themselves of the opportunity provided by the new 
law. Their applications called for a thorough investigation 
in each case. This work the League volunteered to take off 
the shoulders of the Bureau of Naturalization. The inquiries 



300 THE WEB 

put in the questionnaire are interesting as official tests of 
loyalty. The most important of them are as follows : 

Has applicant affiliated himself directly or indirectly with 
any organization or propaganda in any way opposed to the 
position taken by the United States in regard to the war, or 
with known or suspected agents of the enemy? 

Has applicant at any time expressed his approval of (a) the 
invasion of France and Belgium? (b) the sinking of the 
Lusitania? and (c) the general conduct of the war by Ger- 
many? If so, when, where and in whose hearing? 

Has applicant been opposed to (a) the United States' entry 
into the war? (b) acts of the United States in conducting the 
war (c) shipping munitions to France and England? (d) the 
draft? (e) Liberty loans? 

Can all the foreign-born or foreign-descended citizens of 
the United States swear before God that they are fit to gain 
or to retain their citizenship under a iest like that ? 

A St. Louis journal, in 'commenting on the work of the 
American Protective League in that city, gave a rather inter- 
esting summary of the growth of the espionage idea in the 
United States, for which place not inappropriately may be 
found here. 

The dangers that hung upon the flanks of the nation, the 
adroit moves of detective forces which set at naught the 
plotters, and the manner and means adopted to nip in the 
bud the creeping plans of Pan-Germanism, is one of the most 
fascinating and in many respects one of the most thrilling 
chapters in the recital of America's first months in the great 
war. 

Previous to the Civil War, the United States had no secret 
service. It came into being when reports were brought to 
Samuel H. Felton, president of the Philadelphia, Wilmington 
and Baltimore Railroad, that President Lincoln would be 
assassinated while traveling by special train from the West 
to hig inaugural at Washington. Felton sent for Allan 
Pinkerton, who was then conducting a small detective agency 
in Chicago. It is interesting to note that Pinkerton, in taking 
the task of protecting Lincoln's life, outlined the method which 
Is the keynote of the secret service system. In describing the 
work he wrote: "I resolved to locate my men at the various 
towns along the road where it was believed dissatisfaction 
existed. I sent the men to their posts with instructions to 



THE STORY OF ST. LOUIS 301 

become acquainted with such men as they might, on observa- 
tion, consider suspicious, and endeavor to obtain from them, 
by association, a knowledge of their intentions." Later, 
Pinkerton, under the name of "Maj. E. J. Allen," directed the 
intelligence department of Gen. McClellan's Ohio army. 

Brig. Gen. Lafayette C. Baker was the organizer of the 
military secret service that performed the detective duty of 
the Civil War. At the outbreak of hostilities, a national 
detective bureau was an idea entirely new, and was regarded 
as contrary to republican institutions. The service went out 
of existence with the close of the war. 

The present day Secret Service, proper, is a division of the 
Treasury Department. It was created at the time "shin 
plasters" were in existence and counterfeiting thereof had 
become general. Its duty at the outset was to run down coun- 
terfeiters, but later its duties were somewhat broadened, and 
in recent years it has been intrusted with the safety of the 
President. 

In April of this year, the United States had at its command 
(besides M. I. D. and Naval Intelligence) the Secret Service, 
the investigators of the Department of Justice, the Immigra- 
tion Bureau inspectors and the inspectors of the Post Office 
Department. These organizations for the detention of crim- 
inals are now working in close harmony against the common 
enemy. 

With these agencies also worked the American Protective 
League, regarding which this comment was printed and 
should be reprinted : 

It is no exaggeration to say that the American business 
men who conceived the plan and who to-day constitute the 
myriad meshes in the spy net cast over America, have accom- 
plished a feat which, for efficiency, for secrecy, for loyalty and 
patriotism has never been equaled or approached by the men 
of any nation since time began. 

The St. Louis division embraced a membership of 3,000 
operatives, the large majority of whom made up the listen- 
ing and reporting organization. The number and variety of 
eases developed and investigated are as follows : Alien enemy 
activities, 225 ; Espionage Act cases, 1,142 ; sabotage, 11 ; 
anti-military activities, 15 ; printed propaganda, 1,741 ; I. W. 
W., including pacifism, 48; bribery, graft, etc., 45; imper- 
sonation, 2 ; naturalization, 600 ; counter-espionage, 53 ; 



302 THE WEB 

draft cases, 7,075 ; character and loyalty investigations, 589 ; 
liquor cases, 49 ; vice, 26 ; wireless cases, 52 ; profiteering, 80 ; 
miscellaneous, 256. 

The credit for the patient and self-sacrificing labors re- 
quired in this large volume of work is due not only to the 
patriotism and fidelity of the listening and reporting force 
and to those operatives who devoted their time to work of 
investigation, but also to conscientious cooperation of the 
district organizations and their deputies and inspectors. Shar- 
ing with these must be remembered, on the silent roll of 
honor, all those deputy chiefs in charge of the respective 
departments at headquarters under the immediate direction 
of their Chief, who must stand for all. 



CHAPTER XII 

THE STORY OF KANSAS CITY 

The Gate City of the Great West in the War— If K. C. 
Ever was Wild and Woolly, That was Long Ago — Let Us 
Have Peace, if We Have to Get It With a Gun— All Quiet 
Along the Missouri. 

Kansas City claims and has claimed for a long time the 
title of Gate City to the Great West. This is hers by legit- 
imate right and has been ever since wheel-power first went 
west of the Missouri Eiver. Independence, Missouri, which 
we may call the mother of the modern Kansas City, was for 
years,, early in the last century, the jumping-off place for 
all the great western transcontinental trails. That way lay 
Oregon, on the upper fork. The left fork of the main trav- 
eled road led to Santa Fe. The men bound for the Arkansas 
Valley passed by here, and the old fur hunters said good-bye 
to civilization at this point even before the wagon had re- 
placed the pack saddle on the Santa Fe trail. Here began 
the wagon-road that later was railroad, and all the time, from 
the wildest to the tamest days, whether in staid 1842, or in 
wild 1882, Kansas City was the Gate of the West, letting in 
and passing out a wild and tempestuous life in the days of 
the Homeric West. 

Time was when Kansas City was bad, and had her man 
for breakfast with the best of them. But always the worst 
was farther West, and Kansas City sat tight. She did not 
care for the movies of the future, but quickly went in for' 
law, order and business. So she has grown up, by ver^ 
virtue of her geography, her situation, and her history, into 
an immense commercial center, solid, law-abiding and pros- 
perous. 

There was no reason to expect any great outbreaks of vio- 
lence in Kansas City at this date of her history, nor do we 
find any ; but the A. P. L. was there as it has been in every 

303 



304 THE WEB 

other great city of the Union throughout the war. That it 
was active may be seen by a glance at the totals. In D. J. 
work, forty-five cases of alien enemy activities, 1,237 cases 
of disloyalty and sedition, and eight cases of propaganda 
cover the list. The War Department offered more work, the 
selective draft alone involving under its several heads 3,182 
cases. There were 410 investigations connected with char- 
acter and loyalty ; 227 cases of investigation of civilian appli- 
cants for overseas service. Eaids to obtain evidence for 
illegal sale of liquor to soldiers brought visits to fifty-three 
doubtful saloons, and twenty-five convictions of violators. 
Kansas City is dry, so far as the Army is concerned, as may 
be witnessed by an editorial of September 17, 1918, in the 
Kansas City Stai which also shows why it is dry : 

The sale of liquor to soldiers has been going on in Kansas 
City for months. Officers at Leavenworth and Funston have 
complained of it. The consequences have been apparent to 
everybody. Yet the police — Governor Gardner's police — did 
nothing. It took a voluntary organization to get the evidence 
and force the arrests. The law-breakers whom the police — 
Governor Gardner's police — could not find, were run down by 
the volunteers of the American Protective League. They 
discovered the most open and flagrant violation of the law. It 
was no trick for amateurs to get evidence and find the people 
who deserved arrest. 

A tough North-end colored saloon was visited by A. P. L. 
operatives late one Saturday evening. A large crowd was 
encountered. Most of them had been drinking heavily and 
were in rather a noisy condition. The A. P. L. men first 
encountered a large colored fellow. He explained that he 
was past the age, but that he had served in the 21st Kansas 
(colored) in the Spanish War, and produced his papers to 
prove his assertion. A colored fellow was encountered who 
refused to show his card. He said he had one, but stated 
he would not go to headquarters and that it would take a 
fight to get him there. Whereupon this ex-colored soldier 
stepped up and informed him that if there was to be any 
threshing done, he asked the first opportunity, and that no. 2 
would show his card or he would take it off him. He was 
supported by two or three other colored men, with the result 



THE STORY OF KANSAS CITY 305 

that every man in the crowd brought out his card. This 
story is given to illustrate one fact — no matter how tough 
and disorderly the crowd, eighty-five percent at least still 
had manhood enough left to be loyal. 

In another saloon a big fellow was leaning on the bar. 
He was notified that operatives outside were looking at the 
cards, and he said : " I have my little old card right here, ' ' 
slapping his breast, " but the man who sees it will first 

have to walk over my dead body. ' ' Operative B , who 

had entered the saloon a few minutes before, was leaning 
on the bar facing the fellow and when he finished his tirade, 
he said quietly and very low: " Let me see your card, 
please; I am from the Aiaerican Protective League" — and 
he showed his star. Instantly the fellow replied: " Oh, 
certainly, here it is ' ' — accompanied by a roar of laughter 
from everybody in the saloon. 

A man was reported by neighbors as having taken down a 
flag that was put on his house. It was said that he read 
the reports of German victories in the early part of the war 
on the front porch to the neighbors and gloated over them. 
He also said he knew how far to go, what to say and when 
to quit. A. P. L. operatives had a quiet interview with this 
party. He was well educated, held a good position, and 
was desirous of arguing the question. At that moment he 
was reinforced by his wife, who immediately ordered the 
operatives out of the house, with, the statement that no one 
could accuse her husband of being disloyal. She was very 
determined and unusually long of wind. His change was 
immediate. He took his wife to a back room. Evidently he 
runs the house, for she did not reappear. He assured us 
he had made a mistake, and, in fact, termed himself a plain 
d d fool. He promised to be loyal and said that he in- 
vited checking up. 

It was the experience of the Eastern District of Kansas 
City that about twenty percent were American-born citizens 
of German descent, or naturalized Germans who looked upon 
the war as simply a question of taking sides, instead of a 
question of loyalty. A. P. L. pointed out to these the need 
of being loyal, what they owed this country, why they should 
be subservient to the law — and what was going to happen 
to them if they were not. This twenty percent either was 



306 THE WEB 

made into good citizens or it remained a class of people who 
said nothing and did no harm. The five percent of bad 
stuff represented the actual Germans who were interested 
in the success of the Germans, and the slackers, deserters 
and men who had violated the law and had to be appre- 
hended. 

A typical Kansas City case was commented on in the ' ' Spy 
Glass," the national A. P, L. paper: 

Fred W. S was born on March 29, 1888, entered mili- 
tary service in Crefeld, Germany, October 15, 1909, in tbe 53rd 
Infantry Regiment of the 5th Westphalian Division, Co. 6, 
and received his discharge on September 25, 1911. His mili- 
tary book in addition to giving his record as first-class marks- 
man, shows that he was recommended for corporal. In April, 
1913, he secured a furlough to North America, but was subject 
to call in March, 1915. Claims he came to this country to 

visit his brother. Interviewed, S was frank. He stated 

that he made it a rule never to talk, but that prior to the 
United States entering the war, he had let some remarks 
slip to his fellow workmen, which he had regretted, as these 
remarks had caused him a great deal of trouble since then. 
He showed us his registration card. He stated that he had 
applied for his first papers and that he was ready and willing 
to take out his last papers the moment he was permitted, and 
that he wanted to become an American citizen. He had four 
brothers in the German Army, and has not heard from them 
for three years. This was given as an explanation for his 
mistake in making a few remarks at the beginning of the war. 
He asserted that he would live up faithfully to every rule, 
would attend strictly to his business and would report when- 
ever desired. He declared that he had bought First, Second 
and Third Liberty Loan Bonds. He also stated that he had 
given to the Red Cross. Conclusion: He has violated no 
law and do not believe he intends to violate any. Kept under 
observation. 

Here is another story which illustrates that curious psycho- 
logical bluntness and one-sidedness of the German intellect. 

The widow of Fred E , deceased, who had a drug store, 

was asked for a subscription to the hospital fund. She said : 
" I won't give any money to the Research Hospital, but 
maybe, if you take the old name back, I will give to the 
German Hospital, but not to the Research Hospital." 



THE STORY OF KANSAS CITY 307 

The manner in which she said this and the spirit demon- 
strated by her attitude showed that she was thoroughly pro- 
German. Operative No. 60 called on the party, and says in 
his report : 

We charged her with disloyal talking. She stated that she 
had done no disloyal talking, and in fact had taken good 
care not to talk against the Government in any way; further- 
more, that she had a son in France and if she was against 
the Government she certainly would not have allowed him 
to go. We then asked her about her statements regarding 
the Research Hospital. She stated she had spoken to her 
lawyer about it and he had told her it was not so necessary 
to change the name of the Hospital as it would be to change 
the name of a business. She thought the name should remain 
"German" because the Germans had in the beginning founded 
the Hospital. We stated that there were no Germans over 
here to found it. "Well," she said, "I mean German-Amer- 
icans." We then stated there were no German-Americans 
here, either, but all Americans. She began crying and said 
that no one could understand her position, that she had sis- 
ters in Germany and nephews fighting in that Army, while 
her own son was in the American Army fighting against them. 
She stated that the dirty stories about the German army were 
all lies. We told her that it was our duty to demand that 
she should not do any talking. We were convinced that she 
is very pro-German and that the only way to prevent her from 
talking would be to put her where there are no other people 
except Germans. 

This is a yery fair statement of one of the greatest prob- 
lems of America today. What shall be done with the hy- 
phen ? It must go, else this war will be fought again. 

While the war was yet young, a tip was received from the 
draft board that a certain young man had failed to appear 
when called. Investigation showed that he had deserted 
his wife, leaving her in a destitute condition. He had three 
sisters in the city, consequently A. P. L. assumed he would 
^t some time communicate with one of them. By certain 
means, operatives established a watch on the mail as it was 
delivered, locating him at different times in Oklahoma, Colo- 
rado, Arizona and other western points. One day a tele- 
phone call was received stating that one of the sisters had 
been heard to converse with him over the 'phone; that he 



308 THE WEB 

had arrived in town at 2 :30, and at 4 :00 would be at a cer- 
tain place to visit a sister. A. P. L, men arrived at that 
place. In a few minutes a man of the draft-evader's descrip- 
tion, wearing a cowboy hat and typical cowboy attire, came 
swaggering up the steps. When taken, he put up a some- 
what original and unique story: 

You see, I am hard of hearing and have a bad heart. I am 
not at all yellow. I am ready to fight at any time, and have 
always been ready, but it occurred to me that as I could not 
fight on account of my hearing and bad heart, I ought not 
put the officials to the trouble of examining me. You see, it ' 
would take a lot of time to examine me, so I thought the best 
plan was just to save them that trouble, and as I was going 
west anyway, etc. 

Operatives then locked the cowboy up for the night, and 
the next morning took him before the Department of Justice. 
He was very repentant, and while adhering to the same 
story, was anxious that something should be done to keep 
him out of the Army. This matter was explained quietly 
to the Department man who met him, and upon being advised 
by the cowboy that he was hard of hearing, had a bad heart, 
etc., the latter said: " I feel awfully sorry for you, but 
you see, you are delinquent. You have laid yourself liable 
to the law and a penitentiary offense. Now, we usually are 
considerate and give a man a chance of going to war, but 
you tell me you are hard of hearing and have a bad heart, 
and of course, under those circumstances, we cannot send 
you to the Army. That is too bad, and I suppose the de- 
cision of the court will be that it is the penitentiary for you. ' ' 

A very pale, excited listener immediately said: " Mister, 
now I think you misunderstand me. A man who goes 
through what I went through yesterday, being arrested and 
being locked up with a lot of bedbugs all night, has a fairly 
good heart. In fact, I believe I have entirely recovered my 
hearing, and am all over the heart trouble. If you will only 
let me go to the Army, I will waive all examination." He 
went. 

In one day A. P. L, received three different complaints 
that a spy was working in the north-eastern part of the city. 
He was supposed to be German through and through, though 



THE STORY OP KANSAS CITY 309 

he had never said anything pro-German. He was generally 
considered to be a wise fellow who worked and did not talk. 
Every Saturday night he met a bunch of spies in his base- 
ment, one tall and one short, both dangerous looking. They 
always carried a secret basket of mysterious contents. 
Neighbors were very much aroused. Insisted that the De- 
partment do something, quick. A. P. L. placed operatives 
on a Saturday night, the night on which these mysterious 
meetings all occurred, and watched the long and short men 
come with their deadly baskets. Shortly after, a light ap- 
peared in the basement. Curtains were at the windows and 
the windows were up, so the operatives crawled up closely and 
quietly and listened to the conversation, which was about as 
follows, in mixed German : "I played the ace. " " No, you 
didn 't, you led with a king ! " " You don 't know anything 
about playing pinochle." And so forth. S'nuf, Mawruss. 
The mysterious basket contained beer bottles ! 



CHAPTER XIII 

THE STOEY OF MINNEAPOLIS 

Clean-Cut Work of One of the North-West's Capitals — 
Straightaway Story of a Good Division — Many Anecdotes 
Showing How Operatives Worked — The Dignified and 
Sober Side of Saving the State and Making Over Citizens — 
A Model Report. 

The great city of Minneapolis is one of the foci of the 
agricultural and industrial realm of the vast Northwestern 
country for which the Twin Cities make the gateway. 
It was not to be supposed that its staid and sober popula- 
tion would cause any great amount of trouble. None the 
less, trouble did develop in Minneapolis as elsewhere, and 
A. P. L. cases and figures mounted steadily upward, just as 
they did in other large centers of industry the country over. 

Alien enemy cases for the Department of Justice ran 
127; disloyalty and sedition, 1,222; sabotage, 17; inter- 
ference with draft, 44; propaganda, 392; I. "W. W. and 
other radicals, 70. War Department cases had 5,725 
investigations under the selective draft: 997 slackers; 507 
work-or-fight cases; character and loyalty, 337 cases; 
liquor, vice and prostitution, 593 cases. The Treasury 
Department had 1,129 cases on war risk and allowance 
grounds. The Fuel Administration turned over 2,356 cases 
for investigation ; the gasoline work, 427. The grand total 
of cases handled by Minneapolis division men, November 
26, 1917, to December 16, 1918, was 15,415. 

Minneapolis had a very thorough organization, and has 
reported the results in so thorough and explicit a fashion 
as to leave small option in matter of handling the report. 
It could not well be amended or improved mpon, and is 
given in substance in the following pages. 

Entries on the case cards include every conceivable 

310 



THE STORY OF MINNEAPOLIS 311 

offense against the wartime laws and orders of the Fed- 
eral Government. Each card contains the condensed his- 
tory of an investigation important in the prosecution of 
the war, and, collectively, the 15,415 cards represent 
uncountable hours, days and nights of devoted service to 
the Government during a period of thirteen months. They 
record adventures as thrilling as any of the detective 
stories of Monsieur Lecocq or Sherlock Holmes, although 
these form a minority of the experiences encountered. 

The Minneapolis Division of the American Protective 
League entered upon active service November 27, 1917. 
An organization with a limited membership ihad been 
effected in Minneapolis previously, but its members served 
principally as observers, and it was not until Charles G. 
Davis, a Minneapolis contractor, had been induced by 
H. M. Gardner, Vice-President of the Civic & Commerce 
Association, in charge of war activities, to accept the posi- 
tion as Chief of the Minneapolis Division, that the Amer- 
ican Protective League became an active local agent for 
the apprehension of anti-war activities. Mr. Davis entirely 
abandoned his private business to enter upon this impor- 
tant Government service. After having established rela- 
tions with Mr. T. E. Campbell, Chief Special Agent in 
charge of the Bureau of Investigation U. S. Department 
of Justice in the Northwest, he opened headquarters and 
immediately began recruiting a force of operatives. He 
continued in this position through the thirteen months 
without salary. 

Under the plan of organization, a captain was appointed 
in each district and operatives assigned in the numbers 
required to meet the conditions encountered. Lieutenants 
also were provided, each having charge of groups of opera- 
tives up to ten men. Headquarters held each captain 
responsible for all operations in his district. 

The jurisdiction of the Minneapolis Division extended 
throughout Hennepin County. In the principal county 
centers outside of Minneapolis, special operatives were 
appointed to take instruction direct from headquarters. 
Another group of picked operatives composed a headquar- 
ters squad operated directly under the chief and handling 
emergency cases. 



312 THE WEB 

Because of the importance and confidential nature of 
the business entrusted to the League, extreme care was 
exercised in the selection of the operatives. They were 
men of proved loyalty as well as of ability and influence. 
As the work of the division increased, the personnel was 
enlarged until a total of more than four hundred operatives 
from all lines of business, trades and professions had 
finally been called to service. All served without pay or 
expense allowances. Some of them gave practically their 
entire time to the work of the League. Most of them djcfi- 
nitely pledged and gave from six to twenty hours of serv- 
ice every week. 

The total members sworn in numbered 491 on November 
30, 1918. The active list at that date included 326 officers 
and operatives and sixty members of the so-called "Eye 
and Ear" division, consisting of men not able to render 
continuous service, but so situated that they were in a 
position to communicate to headquarters reports of anti- 
American activities and other Federal offenses. Among 
the active members were scores who had tried in vain to 
enter the Army or Navy, andj who, failing to find any 
other essential war service open to them, found an outlet 
for their patriotic energy in the ranks of the American 
Protective League. Notwithstanding this, the League 
report shows that twenty-four members resigned during 
the thirteen months to go into the army; five to enter the 
overseas service of the Y. M. C. A. or Red Cross; and 
eighteen to accept other Government service. 

In the pursuit of their duties, operatives and officials 
of the Minneapolis Division, A. P. L., arrested several well- 
known criminals, and encountered scores of desperate 
offenders of various kinds. It is a tribute to their courage 
and efficiency that there was not a single case of extreme 
violence. Men who were recognized everywhere as dan- 
gerous were apprehended as easily as persons who had 
offended unwittingly. In its work, the League employed 
all of the scientific as well as the ordinary devices utilized 
in the detection and conviction of violators and evaders 
of the law. Dictaphones and disguises were used, and 
miles were covered and hours spent in skillful " shadow- 
ing." 



THE STORY OF MINNEAPOLIS 313 

Wliile the files of the Minneapolis Division contain rec- 
ords of many cases of extreme importance, including par- 
ticipation in two investigations which led to the internment 
of alien enemies, the conviction of eleven offenders against 
the espionage laws, the capture and conviction of numer- 
ous deserters and the successful prosecution of other offend- 
ers, Chief Davis and his associates take greater pride in 
the results of constructive work of another type. This 
included the re-establishment with their boards of 4,479 
delinquents under the selective service regulations, and 
the apologies and promises to mend their ways obtained 
from men and women who, in some cases, had deliberately, 
but in most instances unwittingly, extended aid and com- 
fort to the enemy. It is estimated that at least two hun- 
dred men and women, who had been guilty of spreading 
false reports or of other conduct of an unfriendly nature, 
were shown the fallacy of their actions in such a manner 
that they voluntarily surrendered their previous ideas and 
embraced Americanism with more — or less — zeal. 

For the protection of active members, who frequently 
encountered emergencies requiring authoritative action, 
and often were obliged to make immediate arrests to insure 
the detention of persons guilty of serious offenses, an 
arrangement was made whereby a large percentage of the 
operatives were formally deputized as special officers of 
the Minnesota Public Safety Commission. This gave them 
sufficient police authority to cope with any situation which 
arose. But for this, it would not have been possible for 
the organization to make its record of important arrests. 
This authority permitted the carrying of arms for protec- 
tion, and although instances where " gun play " was 
required were few, the U. S. Department of Justice and 
the Minnesota Public Safety Commission had no occasion 
to regret the authority and responsibility conferred upon 
these men. They were enabled, by virtue of this authority, 
to enter many places, which otherwise might have been 
closed to them, in time to correct conditions which, if 
neglected, would have given rise to serious difficulties. 

The Minneapolis Division American Protective League 
was the first local division to attempt a large-scale slacker 
round-up. The results and experience of the Minneapolis 



314 THE WEB 

raids were responsible for similar activities in other cities, 
which put into the Army hundreds of men who otherwise 
might have evaded military service. The first organized 
slacker " raid " in Minneapolis took place on March 26, 
1917. One hundred and twenty operatives were employed 
in hauling the drag-net through the cheaper hotels in the 
Gateway lodging house district. Approximately one hun- 
dred men were taken to the temporary djctention place, 
and twenty-one men — deserters, unregistered enemy aliens 
and men whose draft status could not be determined — 
were sent to the county jail. 

On April 6, two hundred and fifty operatives, with two 
hundred National Guard escorts, visited saloons, cafes, 
pool rooms and dance halls, starting at 8 :00 p. m. and 
continuing until 10 :00 p. m., and picked up 1,150 men in 
various places. The Chief and a corps of assistants con- 
ducted the questioning throughout the night. There were 
still two hundred men in custody when breakfast was 
served Sunday morning. Long distance telephone and 
the telegraph were employed to determine the status of 
the non-residents. Twenty-seven men were locked up. 
Other less extensive raids were conducted through the 
spring and summer of 1918 and at different periods, squads 
of operatives being stationed at the various railroad sta- 
tions to search for draft evaders. As many as twenty 
prisoners were taken in these stations in a single day, and 
it was seldom that a day passed which did not yield two 
or more deserters or -delinquents. 

One morning a dapper individual who arrived at one 
station was asked if he had his draft card. 

" Certainly," he replied, reaching confidently into his 
pocket. The smile gradually disappeared from his face 
and he delved into pocket after pocket without finding the 
necessary credentials. Finally he gave up in despair and 
admitted he did not have his card. He was an exception 
to the rule, however, and did not become indignant. He 
said, " Take me along — I deserve it." At headquarters 
he proved to be * * Chick ' ' Evans of Chicago, national open 
golf champion of the United States. He had come to Min- 
neapolis to participate in a golf foursome for the benefit 
of the Red Cross! He waited fully two hours until a 



THE STORY OF MINNEAPOLIS 315 

telegram was received from his Board in Chicago stating 
that he was in good standing. 

Another spectacular raid conducted by the Minneapolis 
Division was on the show lot of the Eingling Circus. 
Thirty men were taken into custody on charges of draft 
irregularities, and nearly all of these were inducted into 
the army. It was reported that resistance might be offered, 
and precautions had been taken in the arrangements for 
the raid. No difficulty was encountered, however, and 
later in. the day the proprietor of the circus complimented 
us on the manner in which the round-up had been con- 
ducted. 

A different type of raid was undertaken at the request 
of commandants of the various Army detachments in and 
near Minneapolis, They complained that a number of 
impostors in army uniforms were bringing discredit to the 
soldiery and requested that these be apprehended. There 
were so many soldiers on leave in Minneapolis at all hours 
that it had been found extremely difficult to identify the 
impostors, and so it was decided that with the coopera- 
tion of the various commandants a literal drag-net process 
should be resorted to on a given evening. Forces of opera- 
tives were stationed at opposite extremes of the eentral 
business district. More than two hundred men partici- 
pated, squads being formed, and one squad being stationed 
at each end of each street. The operatives stopped every 
uniformed man who was encountered and demanded his 
pass. An even dozen uniformed men who did not have 
passes were picked up and turned over to Army and Navy 
authorities, who attended in automobiles. For a long time 
th^re was an entire absence of reports of offenses on the 
part of imposters in service uniforms. 

Early in the summer a system of nightly A. P. L. patrols 
was established in the down-town section of Minneapolis. 
Operatives worked in squads of two or three men, some 
of them giving attention to draft evaders, others to the 
work-or-fight order, and others to bootleggers. Scarcely 
a night passed without a record of one or more important 
arrests, and the entire personnel of the League became 
intimately acquainted with the down-town business and 
social structures. 



316 THE WEB 

In the conduct of these nightly patrols a special head- 
quarters was established in a down-town public building. 
The captain in charge directed operations from this place. 
Not only was he able to keep the railroad stations, hotels, 
cafes, saloons and other public places undjer contiauous 
surveillance for slackers, but he also had forces constantly 
available to meet any emergencies which arose during the 
evenings. Squads frequently were dispatched from this 
headquarters to various points of the city to give attention 
to special cases. 

One of the first draft evasion cases investigated by the 
Minneapolifl Division is a great short story ready-made. 
It concerned a young man prominent in labor circles. He 
had been an avowed opponent of all the national war 
measures, and was particularly bitter in his condemnation 
of the Selective Service Act. It was reportedi on good 
authority that although he was within the draft age he had 
declined to register and intended to resort to any device 
necessary to evade service. 

The first inquiry was made at the Board of Health, 
where it was ascertained that no record of his birth was 
on file. Attention was next called to the poll books, and 
it was found that the age he had given when registering 
as a voter placed him safely within the provisions of the 
draft act. His school enrollment record was investigated 
and it was found that the ages given in the various grades 
made him amenable to the draft. He had three insurance 
policies, and the original applications which he had signed 
showed him to have been less than thirty-one years old on 
June 5, 1917. The last step was to search for the marriage 
record of his father and mother. They were found to have 
been married in a small town near Minneapolis in Novem- 
ber, 1885. 

When the young man was summoned to headquarters 
he admitted the authenticity of all . these records, but 
insisted that he knew he was past thirty-one on June 5, 
1917. He refused to state on what information he based 
this assertion, and was held for prosecution. One final 
attempt was made to clear his status, and with considerable 
effort his mother, who had divorced his father more than 
twenty-five years before, was located. At the end of an 



THE STORY OF MINNEAPOLIS 317 

unsatisfactory interview lasting nearly an hour she finally 
broke down and in tears admitted the boy had been born 
out of wedlock and that she had been responsible for the 
falsification of the records in order to indicate his legiti- 
macy. She said that she had withheld this secret even 
from the subject, not divulging to him until a few days 
before the day of registration and then only because he 
seemed so bitter over the fact that he must register. Her 
appearance was so venerable and her determination to 
assist him so emphatic that there appeared little chance 
of successful prosecution, so the man was released. Head- 
quarters never received any further reports of un-American 
activities on his part. 

A later case of interest involved an admitted deserter, 
both from the German and the United States Army. 
Whether he is guilty of other offenses has not yet been 
determined. On September 12j 1918, the day of registra- 
tion for men up to forty-six years of age, two operatives 
on duty were struck by the peculiar actions of a man who 
appeared to register. They managed to get near him with- 
out attracting suspicion. In stating his occupation he said 
he was an iron moulder. They noticed that his hands were 
soft and white. When he left the registration place, one 
of the operatives followed him. The other telephoned to 
the plant where the man had said he was employed' and 
learned that he was not known there. The individual was 
" shadowed " to a lodging house, but had departed while 
the first operative was telephoning. The house was put 
under surveillance, and after a period of five days the 
operative gained entrance and searched his room. Among 
his effects were blank checks from banks in various cities, 
photographs in German army uniforms of a man recog- 
nizable as the subject, and various letters andi pamphlets 
in German, some of which were suspicious. Under the 
carpet in the room was an official United States Army 
discharge blank. 

The fact that this paper had been so carefully hidden 
caused further suspicion, and the watch was maintained 
for another five days, when a man appeared at the house 
seeking to rent the room which had been occupied by the 
subject. He described the particular room. On instruc- 



318 THE WEB 

tions from the operatives, the landlady let him have it. 
When he entered the room he started packing the effects 
of the subject, and shortly afterwards left the house with 
the subject's two suitcases. He was stopped outside and 
questioned. He said a man had given him $5.00 to go to 
that lodging house, to rent that particular room, to get 
his belongings and to meet him at a certain place the fol- 
lowing morning, where he agreed to give him $50. This 
man was held over night and was sent out the next day 
to make the appointment arranged by the subject. The 
subject was there and was taken into custody. After a 
gruelling examination he admitted] being a deserter from 
the United States Army. He later confessed that he was 
a German alien and said he also had deserted from the 
army in Germany. He would not account for his activities 
in the months which had elapsed between his desertion 
from the Army and his capture in Minneapolis. He had 
a considerable sum of money, but could not prove he had 
done any work. He was turned over to the military 
authorities. 

Topping all other humorous experiences was that 
encountered by one of the most efficient of the Minne- 
apolis District A. P. L. Captains. He had orders to arrest 
a deserter who bore a Polish name ending in "-ski." After 
a long search he was informed that this man lived in one 
of the slum sections, working all day and arriving at his 
lodging place generally about 1 :00 a. m. He could not 
learn where the man worked and so was compelled to 
locate him at his room. Going there to make inquiries 
one night, he was told that the man was there. Having 
been informed that the fellow was dangerous and fearing 
that he would become alarmed and flee if he was not taken 
into custody immediately, the captain went into his room. 
Asking if he were " So-and-so-ski," the man said he was. 
He was told to get up and dress and come along. Although 
he was surly he showed no resistance and accompanied the 
captain outside. The captain felt, however, that this docil- 
ity might be assumed, and thought he would take no 
chances. The place was about a mile from the jail. The 
captain had an automobile, but did not feel it would be 
•safe to take the prisoner in the seat with him. He there- 



THE STORY OF MINNEAPOLIS 319 

fore compelled him to straddle the hood on the car, and 
on this ungainly perch, with the temperature 20° below, 
the unfortunate suspect was driven to the court house. 
Arriving there, the prisoner scratched his head and asked : 

" What yuh bringin' me down here for? " 

" "Why, because you didn't register for the draft. You 
know what." 

** Didn't register for the draft? I guess I did! Here 
is my blue card and my classification card." 

Explanation followed. This man's name ended with the 
Polish "-ski " and was otherwise almost identical to the 
name of the culprit who was sought. When he was asked 
if he was " So-and-so-ski," it sounded so much like his 
own name that he admitted it. He was taken back to his 
lodgings in the seat beside the captain and proper apolo- 
gies were made. 

In most cases where humor existed, there was sometimes 
a mixture of tragedy. There was one man, a motor truck 
driver, who had made himself exceedingly popular with 
a number of women by wearing a uniform of an infantry- 
man without having gone through the formality of enlist- 
ment. He was captured one day while paying a call on 
one of his admirers. Operatives burst in upon the imposter 
and told him he must straightway doff the uniform. 

'' But this is the only suit of clothes I have," he pro- 
tested. One operative went to his truck and found an 
oil-stained suit of overalls. He was taken behind the screen 
and forced to get into these and give up his military 
raiment. 

Another incident of this kind involved a young man 
who was subject to draft and who said he was ready to 
respond when called. He could not wait the Grovernment 
issue of clothes, however. He went to a tailor and equipped 
himself with a suit of khaki which fitted perfectly and 
further adorned himself with the insignia of the Artillery 
Service and an officer's sleeve braid. When he was sum- 
moned to headquarters, he explained that he intended to 
take this uniform to camp to wear when '* he went to 
town." His readiness to wear the uniform was com- 
municated to his draft board by telephone and brought 
orders for immediate induction. Although he had sold all 



32© THE WEB 

of his civilian clothes, one suit was recovered from the 
second-hand dealer who had purchased them, and he went 
to camp in it. 

One Saturday nigiit a young man of stentorian voice, 
wearing classical shell-rimmed glasses, appeared at a 
prominent down-town corner, mounted a soap-box and, 
shouted, *' Step closer, gentlemen. I have no bombs, no 
T. N. T., no lyddite, no dynamite or powder explosives of 
any kind. Step closer though and I'll treat you to some 
talk-bombs." In the vanguard of those who stepped closer 
were two A. P. L. operatives. Five minutes later the 

orator, Herbert Blank, alias Herbert , deserter 

from the British army, was registered at the county jail. 
The shell-rimmed glasses and his predilection to Bolsheviki 
oratory had proved his downfall. They had been men- 
tioned in a bulletin asking his apprehension, sent out from 
Chicago headquarters of the Department of Justice and 
received that morning in Minneapolis headquarters. 

The leading man of the theatrical company which scored 
the biggest hit of any troupe playing Minneapolis last win- 
ter applied his cold cream and other theatrical embellish- 
ments for his Saturday matinee performance under the 
eyes of an A. P. L. operative whilst he confessed to the 
operative that it was quite possible that he should have 
registered for the draft, although he had not. At the 
request of the New York A. P. L. headquarters, this man 
was examined, and although he carried with him a sworn 
statement from his father to the effect that he had been 
born prior to June 5, 1886, cooperation with the Toledo 
A. P. L. had developed evidence that this was not true. 
Before the interview was concluded, ample evidence was 
secured to warrant the arrest of the actor, but his role was 
so prominent and there was such a certainty that the com- 
pany would be compelled to cancel all of its engagements 
with distinct losses to all its members, that mercy was 
shown and he was allowed to continue the performance 
until such a time as his draft status could be adjusted. 
For several weeks, during the travels of the company, he 
was compelled to report daily at the offices of the U. S. 
Department of Justice in the various cities visited. 

One night a squad of operatives, led by the Chief, visited 



THE STORY OF MINNEAPOLIS 321 

an apartment in a down-town building to investigate a 
report that liquor was being served to soldiers and sailors. 
When they gained entrance they found) no uniformed men 
upon the premises, but one of the operatives who had 
lived in San Francisco recognized the unmistakable odor 
of opium smoke. He said, *' Hop, Chief! " A search was 
made and a large quantity of opium was found secreted 
in various nooks of the apartment. Further search revealed 
twenty-three sticks of dynamite, a complete kit of burglar's 
tools, a supply of saws and other devices used by crooks, 
A bolt of silk and other new merchandise, afterwards iden- 
tified as property stolen from stores, also was uncovered. 
Five men and a woman were taken to jail. 

One of the most interesting cases was that of a German 
who left Germany fifty-six years ago, at the age of six 
years. He went to South Dakota, where he prospered 
greatly, and moved to Minneapolis about fifteen years ago. 
At the outbreak of the war his remarks were such that 
his business associates and social acquaintances practically 
ostracized him, and the members of his lodge preferred 
charges of disloyalty against him. The man was brought 
to headquarters. Members of his lodge were invited to 
be present, and he was given twenty minutes seeing him- 
self as others saw him. His attitude at first was stubborn 
and defiant. The Chief then began to dwell on the suffer- 
ing of his children; said they were refused) admittance to 
fraternities, were not invited to parties and that his boy 
departed for the mobilization camp brokenhearted and in 
tears over the fact that none of his family were at the 
station to bid him good-bye at the most important mile- 
stone in his career. This line of talk seemed to soften the 
subject. He broke down and said, with tears: " I never 
was talked to like this before in my life, but I never had 
anything said to me that did me so much goo-d. Will you 
please shake hands with me? " After that his fellow 
lodge members affected a reconciliation on the spot. This 
man's future conduct was above reproach after this inci- 
dent, and he became one of the most active workers for 
the Eed Cross and Liberty Loan. 

A well known clairvoyant and spiritualist medium of 
Minneapolis was brought into the office by one of the Dis- 



322 THE WEB 

trict Captains. She was told that she had been talking 
sedition, and waxed indignant at the idea of anybody accus- 
ing her of sedition when she was a woman so far removed 
from ordinary planes, who could see into vast rounds of 
space. Her complacency was seriously jarred when 
informed that one of our operatives had crawled into her 
basement through the coal chute and listened to her sedi- 
tious talk. Her inability to see into the basement caused 
her to have renewed faith in the long arm of Uncle Sam. 

A bond salesman earning $10,000 a year was only two 
weeks under thirty-one years of age on the 5th of June, 
1917. A report came in from a former sweetheart who 
had been jilted. Operatives found where the subject had 
made application for two insurance policies, taken out two 
or three years previous, in another city, which gave his 
age and place of birth. When brought into the office, the 
man stated that no authentic birth record was in existence, 
and that his birth was recorded in the family Bible in a 
Southern city, in the custody of his mother. Not having 
the address of his mother, that angle not having been cov- 
ered, we anticipated that he would attempt to communi- 
cate with his mother. The wires were covered and a mes- 
sage was picked up about thirty minutes after subject had 
left the office instructing the mother to destroy the family 
birth record page in the Bible and to send him an affidavit 
that he was born a year earlier than he was. Needless 
to say, the local operatives in that district where his mother 
lived secured the necessary legal data. We hope that this 
young man has done more for his country during the 
months he has been in .France than he did previously as 
far as being a patriotic American is concerned. Incident- 
ally, he felt so secure in his position that during the spring 
months of 1918 he had married. 

A man and woman occupying a small cottage in the 
outskirts of the city were reported as acting in a very 
suspicious manner, keeping the windows carefully covered, 
not allolving anyone to come into the house, and not even 
allowing the meter readers to get in until after considerable 
delay. Boxes of glass of a small size were delivered very 
often, and investigation at the glass house showed that 
they always paid cash, would not give any name, and 



THE STORY OF MINNEAPOLIS 323 

always received the supplies at the front porch, and that 
the same practice was indulged in about the delivery of 
hardware, small orders of lumber, and other materials. 
The house was carefully watched for a couple of weeks, 
and many attempts were made to get in. The sound of ma- 
chinery could be heard and one of the operatives who finally 
got in as a meter reader reported a small electric motor in the 
basement which seemed to be some sort of a work shop. The 
man and woman who lived there kept so close to his heels 
that he was not able to do much without exciting suspicion. 
At regular intervals the couple visited the post office, 
where they shipped packages to different addresses 
throughout the Northwest. These packages were regis- 
tered, and they seemed to be very careful in their handling 
of them. It was decided that we had best pick them up 
on the street and bring the couple to the office when they 
had these packages in their possession, and the operative 
would follow. Examination of the packages in the office 
disclosed the fact that there were small framed pictures 
which this man and woman were manufacturing and send- 
ing to the woman's husband, who was on the road selling 
them. This satisfactorily explained the mysterious pack- 
ages which were thought to be infernal machines. The 
queerness of this woman in always carrying a small leather 
traveling bag prompted us to examine the contents of 
the bag, which proved to be a large amount of money 
which this woman was carrying openly through the street 
of Minneapolis, part of it in coins. When reprimanded 
for this matter of taking the money around with her, she 
explained that they were Danish and did not understand 
American customs very well. While living in Chicago 
they had deposited the savings of several years in a private 
bank which failed, and ever since that time they had kept 
their savings constantly on their persons. We explained 
the banking system to them and sent them to a fellow 
countryman, who is the vice-president of one of our large 
banks. They left their money in his custody, except a 
considerable portion which they invested in Liberty Bonds. 



CHAPTER XIV 

THE STORY OF NEW ORLEANS 

The A. P. L. in the Sunny South — Strong Division of the 
Crescent City — How the League was Organized — Rapid 
Growth and Wide Activities — Curbing of Vice — Cleaning 
Up a City. 

There is not in all the United States a more lovable 
city than that founded by Iberville, in an earlier century, 
above the Delta of the Mississippi. At first French, then 
part Spanish, part American, all Southern and yet all 
cosmopolitan. New Orleans has what we may call a per- 
sonality not approached by any other community on this 
continent. Up to the time when, a decade or so ago, the 
once self-contented South began to reach out for a com- 
mercial future, so-called, New Orleans was the true Mecca 
on this continent of the Northern tourists. No need to 
go to Europe if one wanted different scenes. Here existed 
always the glamour of old-world customs, an atmosphere 
as foreign as it was wholly delightful. As the home of 
easy living and good cooking, as the place of kindly cli- 
mate and gentle manners, all flavored with a wholesome 
carelessness as to life and its problems. New Orleans was, 
to use a very trite expression, in a class quite by herself. 
She never has had a rival, and more is the pity that the 
old New Orleans has succumbed to the modern tendency 
towards utilization and change which has marked all 
America. 

Of such a community it might be expected that none 
too rigid a view of life and law would obtain. This would 
not be true of the better elements of New Orleans, yet 
it was in part true of all the life along the old Gulf Coast, 
where Lafitte and all his roisterers once lived, and where 
all the gentleness and ease of nature tended toward what 
we might call loose living — or at least joie de vivre. The 

324 



THE STORY OF NEW ORLEANS 325 

soul of New Orleans came out annually in her Mardi G-ras 

— the exuberant flowering of a spirit perennially young 
and riante. 

And yet to New Orleans came the sobering days of the 
war, as to all the rest of America. The conscription fell 
upon her as upon every other city in America ; and she 
also was asked to open her purse for the furtherance of 
the war and its purposes. How she responded need not 
be asked, and need not really be recorded, for New Orleans 
has always maintained beneath her laughing exterior as 
stern a sense of duty as may be found anywhere in all the 
world. To be French is to smile — but to be firm. Indeed, 
New Orleans showed one of the strange phenomena of 
American life which is not always known in the North 

— the truth that the South is more Puritan than ever 
New England was. Texas, supposed to be a bad border 
state, to-day has stronger laws regarding vice and liquor 
than New England ever has had since the time of the 
Blue Laws, and more strictly enforced. Louisiana also, 
gentle and kindly, has a stiffer code of morals than any 
commonwealth of the stern and rockbound coast. She 
smiles — but stands firm. 

These reflections become the more obvious as one reads 
the main story of the activities of A. P. L. in New Orleans. 
The division does not pride itself ever so much upon its 
promptness with Liberty Loans, its activity in slacker 
drives, its firmness as to sabotage and propaganda, as it 
does upon other phases of work which at first were inci- 
dental to the prosecution of the Government war activities. 
The great boast of the New Orleans division is that it has 
kept young soldiers away from bad women, and kept 
women, once evil, away from themselves and gave them 
a chance to reform and to live a different life. So, there- 
fore, one who shall study all the manifold activities of 
the American Protective League in this country will see 
that it had many ways in which it rendered service to the 
people. Perhaps, long after the League shall have been 
dissolved, in part forgotten, the New Orleans rehabilita- 
tion home, ten miles out from the city, will remain as a 
monument to the activities of that singular organization 
which, like King R-ex himself, ruler of the Carnival, came 



326 THE WEB 

from some mysterious region and vanished thence again, 
leaving behind only good memories. 

On January 29, in 1918, the New Orleans division of 
A. P. L. had only thirty-eight members. At that time Mr. 
Charles Weinberger became manager, there being asso- 
ciated with him as assistant chief Mr. Arthur G. Newmyer. 
There were at first but limited office quarters, but in a 
very short time new headquarters were established and the 
plant installed covering approximately ten thousand square 
feet of space. This was on April 1, 1918. On February 1, 
1919, the total membership was 2,097. 

League operations were distribute-d under a Bureau of 
Investigation and a Bureau of Information, each in charge 
of an assistant chief. The investigation work was divided 
by Special D. J, Agent Beckham as follows: Headquarters 
bureau, handling enemy alien activities, disloyalty, sedi- 
tion, propaganda, etc., had two units, a staff of eighty-three 
headquarters lieutenants, and also a ward organization. 
In each of the seventeen wards of New Orleans there was 
a lieutenant who had enough operatives under him to cover 
his neighborhood thoroughly. 

The second bureau, that of Information, took up on its 
part the trades classification rather than that which we 
may call the geographical classification into city districts. 
There was a captain in each of the seventy-eight commer- 
cial lines of the city, and each captain had lieutenants and 
operatives in his particular line of business. In this way 
there was what might be called a double covering of the 
city, both as to information and investigation. For 
instance, in each hotel there would be a captain, lieutenant 
and operatives. The Bureau of Information had entire 
charge of the financial end of the League, and it supplied 
men to the Investigation Division for the purpose of raids, 
or for whatever matter required special assistance. 

In the War Department work, the selective service 
bureau was in charge of a captain with proper assistants, 
who handled all violations under Section 6 of the Act. A 
member of this bureau was detailed with each exemption 
board, and this division handled all the draft investiga- 
tions. It made a great many searches of this sort, pre- 
vented a great many evasions, and corrected many incor- 



THE STORY OF NEW ORLEANS 327 

rect classifications. In the slacker raids which. New 
<:^rleans had in common with practically every other big 
city of the country there were sometimes as many as three 
hundred operatives employed, and it is estimated that 
more than 20,000 slacker investigations were made in all. 

New Orleans was a '* wet town," in close proximity to 
two Naval stations, three aviation fields, and two canton- 
ments. It is easily seen what this m.e&i:.t in the way of 
activities for the A. P. L. There was a special liquor 
bureau put in charge of a captain and assistants. The 
division Chief and his aids made an agreement with all 
the local breweries and all the wholesale and retail liquor 
dealers that no intoxicating liquor should be sold in bottles 
after 7 :00 p. m. This cut off a great deal of bootlegging 
and much of the heavier drinking which could not be 
controlled by the local police. This bureau was most effi- 
cient, as is demonstrated by the fact that Colonel Charles 
B. Hatch, U. S. Marines, who was in charge of the polic-e 
forces of Philadelphia, was sent down to New Orleans by 
Secretary Daniels of the Navy to make an investigation 
of the New Orleans situation, and reported that so long 
as the A, P. L. was on the job there was no need for the 
establishment of a military police in New Orleans, or of 
extending any other law-enforcing organization. A. P. L. 
has rarely had a better compliment than this. 

This bureau had chemists making analyses of several 
alleged soft drinks, and caused a cessation in their sale 
when they were of a suspicious character. In general, it 
locked up the town in a manner entirely satisfactory to 
the military and naval authorities. Anyone going to New 
Orleans in war times would have found it anything but a 
wide-open place. 

Yet, but lately. New Orleans was called rather an * ' open 
town " in other ways: hence the vice bureau, established 
under the constant personal supervision of the division 
Chief. There were squads kept out all the time in con- 
trol of the ' ' -district ' ' and uptown sections of the city, 
this patrol being kept up day and night. It was not in 
the least infrequent that A. P. L. men would be out many 
nights on service of this sort. 

In order that the operations of this vice bureau might 



328 THE WEB 

be facilitated, Chief Weinberger was named U. S. Com- 
missioner by Federal Judge Foster. Women apprehended 
under Section 13 of the Conscription Act were brought 
before Commissioner Weinberger, their cases investigated 
and affidavits made. When necessary, they were sent to 
the isolation hospital for investigation as to their physical 
status. 

In order to prevent sending these unfortunate women to 
jail with criminals, the American Protective League at New 
Orleans engaged in the enterprise earlier referred to — 
its ** Amproleague Farm." Here there were ample dormi- 
tories, fully equipped, and a garden was maintained. 
There was a matron in charge. The place was kindly 
and helpful in every way, and every attempt was made 
to change the women spiritually as well as physically dur- 
ing their stay. Thus the League went a step further than 
acting simply as a merciless police force. It took care of 
young men who ought to have taken better care of them- 
selves, but it did more. It took care not of one sex alone, 
but of both sexes, and in the truer and more lofty sense 
of the word. 

In this operation of the liquor and vice bureaus, local 
Army and Navy camps detailed men to help the A. P. L. 
The local organization of the Home Guard, to the number 
of about a hundjred, were admitted to membership in the 
League also. This organization, which was under military 
discipline, could be quickly assembled for night service. 
Transport of the League was cared for by the automobile 
division of. the Bureau of Information. The latter men 
rendered special service to prevent the shipment of liquor 
into dry territory, whether in violation of the Reed 
Amendment or in violation of Section 12 of the Conscrip- 
tion Act. The New Orleans district had one neighboring 
cantonment which was in dry territory. 

In brief. New Orleans showed Avhat all the divisions of 
A. P. L. did throughout the country — good judgment and 
common sense. It did the thing necessary to be done, the 
most obvious and most useful thing. That duty was the 
caring for the personnel of the soldiers and sailors grouped 
in such numbers in or close to New Orleans. Human 
nature was accepted as human nature, and dealt with as 



THE STORY OF NEW ORLEANS 329 

such. These are the conditions which perforce colored the 
work of A. P. L. in New Orleans. They do not reflect the 
average community life of that city in any ordinary sense 
of the word, although many of the cases most valued by 
the Division itself have had to do with that manner of 
work. 

For instance, the vice bureau apprehended two young 
women under Section 13 of the Conscription Act. Brought 
before the U. S. Commissioner, they were released upon 
their personal recognizance, but failed to appear on the 
next morning. Later they were located in HoustoUj Texas, 
and brought back to New Orleans. They were not kicked 
down. They found) homes at the " Amproleague Farm." 

Matters did not go so gently in the vice operations so 
far as they had to do with the older and more persistent 
offenders. There were raids on some of the more notorious 
resorts, and several of them closed their doors entirely. 
There was a general cleaning up in New Orleans which 
was good for the city whether or not it remained a center 
of military activities. 

A common practice of New Orleans taxicab drivers was 
to meet all trains coming in from the cantonments and 
to offer the sights of the city, liquor and taxicab included, 
to any enlistedj man for a net sum varying from five to ten 
dollars. The League practically wiped out this pernicious 
practice by putting on the trains A. P. L. men in uniform 
as soldiers. When they got off the train and were thus 
accosted by taxicab drivers, they had all the evidence 
which was necessary. The taxicab practice was seriously 
interfered with. 

A neighboring city was alleged to have examined incor- 
rectly before its draft board a certain young man, giving 
him a classification to which he was not entitled. Investi- 
gation was set on foot by the A. P. L., who uncovered the 
fact that the man's father conducted a sanitarium patron- 
ized by drug andj liquor patients. He had treated several 
members of the board in his sanitarium, and had likewise 
had the Federal district judge as a patient, as well as 
several other influential citizens of the community. Thus, 
having rather confidential information, A. P. L. had very 
little difficulty in framing up its case. 



330 THE WEB 

It will perhaps not be necessary to' go into the usual 
series of narratives of interesting cases in the instance of 
the Crescent City. The report, as outlined above, is so 
different in its general phases from that of the average 
division that it may be allowed to stand, with the addition 
of its tabulated totals, which cover all the forms of assist- 
ance to the Government in which A. P. L. has participated 
throughout the United States. 

Alien enemy activities 292 

Citizen disloyalty and sedition 1,626 

Sabotage, bombs, dynamite, defective manufacture 24 

Anti-military activity, interference with draft 34 

Propaganda — word of mouth and printed 1,326 

Radical organizations — I. W. W., etc 43 

Bribery, graft, theft and embezzlement 82 

Naturalization, impersonation, etc 827 

Counter-espionage for military intelligence 2 

Selective Service Regulations under boards 2,194 

In slacker raids, estimated 20,000 

Of local and district board members 4 

Work or fight order 254 

Character and loyalty — civilian applicants 103 

Applicants for commissions 57 

Training camp activities — Section 12 2,919 

Training camp activities — Section 13 2,843 

Camp desertions 140 

Collection of foreign maps, etc 3,500 

Counter-espionage for Naval Intelligence 206 

Collection of binoculars, etc 8 

Food Administration — hoarding, destruction, etc 453 

Fuel Administration — hoarding, destruction, etc 964 

Department of State — Miscellaneous 7 

Treasury Department — War Risk Insurance, etc 625 

United States Shipping Board 15 

Alien Property Custodian — Miscellaneous 7 

Red Cross loyalty investigations 409 

The decision to demobilize the American Protective 
League was arrived at somewhat suddenly, for reasons 
more or less obvious to all members of the League. As 
recently as November 13, 1918, Mr, Bielaski, Chief of the 
Bureau of Investigation of the U. S. Department of Jus- 
tice, wrote to Chief Weinberger, expressing the assurance 



THE STORY OF NEW ORLEANS 331 

that the American Protective League by no means ought 
to disband, since peace was not yet declared, and since 
need for the League's services still existed. He said, ** I 
am entirely satisfied that the need for this organization will 
continue for some time to come, entirely without regard 
to the progress of peace negotiations. The tremendous 
machines which have been organized by the Government 
for the prosecution of this war cannot be stopped abruptly, 
and must continue to operate for many months under any 
circumstances. The American Protective League has a 
large share of the work in this country which has made 
possible the united support and the full success of our 
arms abroad, and I am sure that your organization will 
continue to piay its full part until the Department is will- 
ing to say that it has no further need for its services. ' ' 

Now, a few months after these expressions, the League 
is dissolved and its work declared ended. Is it ended? 
New Orleans thinks not, and points at least to one instance 
of civic betterment which has not yet demobilized — its 
'* Amproleague Farm." The officials found there an old 
sugar plantation which dated back to 1857. The old resi- 
dence was built over as a modern home, equipped with 
forty windows, a dormitory with fifty beds, a room with 
six sewing machines, also ample galleries and well-fitted 
kitchens. Here the League has built a little community 
home which it is not yet ready to see die. It is a home 
where an erring person is given a chance to begin over 
again. And after all, has not that been a part of all the 
work of A. P. L. in all the country? From time to time 
in other reports we have seen it stated : ' ' We tried to 
show this or that pro-German where he was wrong ' ' ; 
* ' We tried to change rather than to punish " ; " We 
endeavored to improve our citizenship rather than penalize 
those who had madjC mistakes." So, therefore, Ave may 
say that New Orleans has added a good chapter to the 
good history of this body of thoughtful citizens — it has 
helped make the world and the country better than it was 
before. 



CHAPTER XV 

THE STORY OF CALIFORNIA 

A Series of Graphic Case Stories from All Over the Golden 
State — Stirring Romances from the Capital of Romance — 
The A. P. L. in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, 
San Diego, and Everywhere Between — the Pacific Coast 
in War Times. 

Time was when there were just two really cosmopolitan 
towns in the United States. Merely being mixed in popu- 
lation does not mean cosmopolitanism; but San Francisco 
and New Orleans were two towns which could offer any 
American something to see. The fire changed San Francisco 
to a certain extent, and the North has ruined New Orleans 
all it could; but the soul of each of these two towns still 
goes marching on, incapable of destruction. If sudden 
wealth could not make San Francisco avaricious, nor solid 
prosperity leave her sordid; if earthquake, fire and famine 
could not daunt her unquenchably buoyant heart — what 
reason have we to believe that a small matter like a world 
war would much disturb her poise ? 

'Frisco by the Golden Gate — that last viewpoint where 
America faces the Orient and her own future as well — took 
her war philosophically, allowed her Hindu conspiracies to 
run their course, and viewed with none too great agitation 
the flood of disloyalty which inevitably was caught by the 
western shore, just as once a better sort of material was 
caught in the sluices of her old Long Toms. San Francisco 
knows she is here to stay, and believes that this Republic also 
is here to stay. 

The A. P. L. in San Francisco 

That there would be an A. P. L. organization in San Fran- 
cisco admitted of no doubt. The city was ably organized 

332 



THE STORY OF CALIFORNIA 333 

and certainly took able care of Fritz and his Boche-loving 
friends. But all California is divided into three parts: 
Northern California, Southern California — and all Cali- 
fornia! An offense to one means a fight for all, although 
each allows a certain amount of thumb-biting on the part of 
a native son. The A. P. L. in California followed precisely 
this ancient line of cleavage, so that there was established 
a Northern Division, a Southern Division — and a State In- 
spectorship ! The State Inspector was Mr. Douglas White, 
who himself is a traveling man, and therefore cannot be ac- 
counted as belonging to either North or South. Mr. A. J. 
DeLamare had the division office in San Francisco, where 
the organization so closely followed the general lines already 
described in other cities that it perhaps is not needful to 
go into details here. 

That California's polyglot population meant potential 
trouble may be seen in the heads of the Frisco reports : a 
total of 1,612 cases of disloyalty and sedition, 277 cases of 
propaganda, and 105 of radicalisni, such as that of I. W. W., 
etc. The work for the war boards — slackers, desertion, char- 
acter and loyalty, etc. — footed up 2,415 cases in all, the 
grand total carried on the records as actual ' ' cases ' ' amount- 
ing to 5,691. 

The Department of Justice labors, as usual in all the 
great cities, meant a vast amount of time and energy ex- 
pended on the part of A. P. L, men, with the usual percent 
of win, lose, and draw — all offered in the infinite variety 
afforded by the California climate. Some of the cases were 
odd, some mysterious, and a good many of them big. Per- 
haps a few from the many turned in by Frisco may be found 
interesting, though chosen practically by chance. One of 
these is a wireless case. It should not be dismissed as an- 
other " mysterious signal " flivver until read quite through 
to its close. 

Mrs. B and her mother had moved into a flat on 

Williard street. The persons who occupied the flat before 
them came back to get some plates and other material, which 

looked so strange that Mrs. B thought there had been 

a wireless plant there, so she reported it. They refused to 
give up the fixture material then in their possession. The 
place was on a high hill overlooking the bay and would have 



334 THE WEB 

been an ideal locality for a wireless plant which might have 
given information to the enemy. 

Operative No. 440 took over this case. He found that the 
house stood at the edge of a wood on a rocky hill. The two 
women explained that the place had been occupied by a man 

named G — who seemed very mysterious. He would 

hang around the house all day and come home at different 
hoiirs. He moved away suddenly. He used to make trips 
in the woods with people not known about there. Operative 
found in the house several base plates for electric light plugs, 
also electric wires grounded on the water and gas pipes, 
and also a hole cut in the side of the house, as is done when 
a high tension wire is passed through. 

Mrs. B stated that at night sounds similar to those 

made by a wireless sending outfit often were heard, also that 
a sound representing rapping signals occurred at the rear 
of the house. The operative, making all allowances for a 
woman's nervousness, returned that evening. Sure enough, 
he heard the sounds persistently as described. They did 
come from the rear of the house, and, although examination 
was made there at once and next day by daylight, he was 
unable to tell what made the sounds. 

The ease now looked promising, so the operative again 
went over the premises. He could not find any trace of 
wireless apparatus. He did find a pipe starting at the edge 
of the woods and tried to follow this. It led to the brink 
of a high bluff. Just at the edge of the bluff the operative 
almost stepped on a rattlesnake, and in attempting to escape 
he rolled to the bottom of the l3ank, carrying the pipe with 
him ! When he came to, he was free of the snake. He looked 
at his pipe, but found it clogged with dirt. It therefore 
could not have been used lately as a wire conduit. 

Nothing could be learned of the former occupant, Gr- , 

except that he was a musician. Inquiry among musical 
societies and unions finally located him as a player in a 
place called the ' ' Hoffbrau ' ' — since very patriotically 
changed to the " States Cafe." Reports were that he had 
been born in the city of New York and served honorably in 
the United States Navy. His wife's father had fought in 
the Civil War. After G had been found, the oper- 
ative had a talk with him. Soon thereafter, light was offered 



THE STORY OF CALIFORNIA 335 

on a very mysterious situation. Gr explained that lie 

had to move very quickly as his wife had rented a new 
house without notifying him. When he moved he had for- 
gotten those base plates — which were intended only for 
household use, percolators, etc. But when he went away the 
dog was not taken. He had come back a number of times to 
the old place trying to locate the dog. At last he had re- 
membered these base plates and tried to secure them, as he 
had put them in himself. It looked like a clean bill of 
health for G — ; but how about the mysterious noises ? 

The operative once more secreted himself at the edge of 
the woods at about ten o 'clock that night and began to watch 
the house. At eleven o'clock he again heard the mysterious 
sounds at the rear of the house. He slipped up quietly and 
there found the solution of his really wireless mystery. The 
"signals" were made by the home-sick dog, which was try- 
ing to locate its former owner ! He would come to the house 
in the night and scratch on the screen door, making sounds 
like a wireless discharge. His tail knocking on the boards 
made the rapping nose. When a strange person would open 
the door he would disappear in the darkness of the woods, 
so no cause for the sounds could be traced. So there you 
were — a perfectly beautiful mystery ! It is told in the re- 
port in a very unagitated style, but really it is a pretty good 
case of A. P. L. work. 

All sorts and conditions of men were enlisted and carried 
on the A. P. L. rolls ; but did you ever hear of an anthropol- 
ogist A. P. L. ? There was one at San Francisco. , It was 
reported that a man living in Alameda, a geologist and 
mining engineer employed by an oil company, was fitting 
out a launch to go to Mexico and purchase supplies. His 
trip was alleged to be for the purpose of oil prospecting. 
He appeared to tell a straight story, and said he had bought 
surveying instruments and food and intended to clear duly. 

Two days later another A. P. L. operative heard that this 
man had left for Washington, stating that he must get some 
passports, although he was known to have passports already. 
As a third man from the San Francisco A. P. L. office was 
going on to Washington, these facts were given him and he 
was asked to give the man the once-over in Washington. 
He did this and found that the boat-owner was getting pass- 



336 THE WEB 

ports to England. He found also that this person was asso- 
ciated with Professor M , who claimed to be looking 

up oil conditions in this country and studying anthropology 
on the side. 

As this operative also was interested in anthropology, he 

and Professor M got on very well, although the San 

Franciscan was not very much impressed by the learned 
man's fundamental knowledge in a scientific way. There 
was nothing, however, to show that the professor was engaged 
in any enemy activities. But the San Franciscan operative 
gathered the notion that the visiting passport-seeker might 
possibly be engaged in spreading German propaganda among 
the many negroes about the city of Washington. He finally 
discovered in his possession a lot of pictures of a very unde- 
sirable sort, intended for German distribution among negro 
troops in France, with the intention of creating dissatisfac- 
tion among such troops. These pictures carried the legend, 
" See what is happening to your wives and families while 
you are in France. ' ' Copies of these pictures were obtained. 
The operative made the further discovery that Professor 

M was in the employ of this pseudo-mining-engineer, 

who now stood revealed as an active German propagandist. 
It was also learned where this latter Kultur-spreader got his 
pictures. 

Arrangements were made with one of the professor's 
photographic subjects so that the operatives might listen in 
on certain flashlight performances by night. To cut all that 
unprintable sort of thing short, it may be said that the oper- 
atives, while seated on the porch, heard and saw all they 
liked of the German color-blindness. 

The learned professor, however, having his suspicions 
aroused by the fact that the door kept opening and would 
not stay shut as it ought to have done, came to the door, 
poked his head out and saw the operatives sitting on the 
porch. One operative sat there with a camera in his lap 
and a flash gun in his right hand, intending to make pictures 
of the picture maker himself, so that evidence of the repre- 
hensible nature of his own pictures might be discovered. The 
professor, however, sprang back into the room and presently 
came out armed with a gun and a bayonet. The operatives 
at once fell off the back of the porch. Lunging at the first 



THE STORY OF CALIFORNIA 337 

man, the professor missed; but he caught the second oper- 
ative with the bayonet in the wrist and ripped up his fore- 
arm. The men closed in upon him and there was a warm 
fight for quite a while. Details are not desirable and need 
not be given. It is sufficient to say that the nature of the 
photographs was disclosed and details turned in to the proper 
quarters. The anthropological German professor later was 
arrested and turned over to the Department of Justice, 
At last accounts he was in jail at Washington awaiting trial. 
Regarding his performance, it is only fair to say that his 
anthropological tendencies seemed to run true to German 
scientific form. 

The A. P. L. in Sausalito 

Not so far from San Francisco by way of the crow's 
flight is the Marin County Division of the A. P. L. at Sausa- 
lito. This division also had a case of mysterious light flashes 
— from Belvidere Island. Signals came from several different 
directions and several different sources, but no one could 
ever be located as receiving them. Across the bay from 
Belvidere is Angel Island, a large internment camp, and 
in either direction lies a neighborhood which is very pro- 
German. There might have been signals, but no one seemed 
to be able to trace the code or get anything intelligible. 
Investigation of this thing lasted for over a year, and 
finally the division concluded it was the action _ of someone 
trying to intimidate the residents of that vicinity. It was 
not run down. 

Located in the hills was an organization knowns as the 
'* German Tourists' Club," which had been incorporated in 
Vienna, Austria. Prior to our entering the war it was vis- 
ited by many alien enemies and many German-Americans, 
so that it was under constant surveillance of the Intelligence 
services of the United States and also by the A. P. L. of 
Marin County. Considerable information was furnished to 
the authorities, and one alien enemy was interned. Another 
alien enemy was apprehended who had $2,500 cash on his 
person and was trying to get to South America, whence he 
intended to return to Germany. The same club turned out 
yet another man who, on a railroad train, was heard abusing 



338 THE WEB 

this country. An A. P. L. man heard him and asked a con- 
stable to arrest him at once. He was taken to the county 
jail, where his remarks were so abusive that the Department 
of Justice immediately took him into custody for internment. 
The hilly, wooded and mountainous character of Marin 
County, bordering on the ocean, made it a favorite resort 
for hikers, hunters, fishermen and the like, and it has many 
locations which would afford excellent rendezvous. It kept 
the A. P. L. operatives busy in all their spare time walking 
and driving through the country. On one such trip along 
the sea shore, in a very remote place, a Navy torpedo was 
found. It proved to be only a practice one, having no war 
head, but it might have been worse. 

The A. P. L. in Los Angeles 

The sun-kissed Southwest handled its A. P. L. work in a 
wholly modem way, as perhaps some of the sidelights will 
show. How quaint and curious some of these chuckle-mak- 
ing anecdotes — and how grave some of the serious ones — 
will seem fifty years from now, when California will be look- 
ing back on another generation of her large and swift his- 
tory! 

The report from the city of Los Angeles is one entirely 
consistent with the reputation of that busy community, and 
as usual the totals ran large. Los Angeles handled 2,136 
cases of alien enemy activity; 5,275 selctive service investi- 
gations ; 1,494 examinations for disloyalty and sedition ; 289 
cases of propaganda by word of mouth and 61 by means of 
the printed page. There were 289 investigations of radicals 
and pacifists, and 648 of all other natures, not mentioning 
those which had to do with food hoarding, waste, etc., which 
made a formidable total of themselves. There are not many 
sections which report a wider or more interesting range of 
experiences. 

As in the case of practically all our cities, at the time the 
war broke out, the Deparment of Justice for Los Angeles 
was inadequately equipped with men, motor cars and data- 
chasers to deal with the numerous alien enemies, German 
sympathizers and non-patriotic citizens. Los Angeles 
frankly says that this species of the human fauna seem to 



THE STORY OF CALIFORNIA 339 

be peculiar to Southern California, and certainly the totals 
of Los Angeles would indicate as much. The Chief says: 

Some of regretted that we could not do more for the Gov- 
ernment, for the work of the A. P. L. appealed very strongly 
to us. When we saw the local Government situation, a number 
of us at once offered to help. The outstanding feature of all 
this work was the absolute cowardliness of the pro-German 
Individual. In all our cases I cannot recall one where any- 
thing like courage was displayed on the part of the subject. 
The moment they realized they were confronted by anything 
like authority their fear and their efforts at self-protection 
were, to say the least, extreme. Individuals were brought to 
the attention of the various departments who did not under- 
stand and cannot to this day realize how the intimation was 
received. They did realize, however, that there was authority 
back of us. In many cases, the Military Intelligence Depart- 
ment called us to their assistance where information could 
not be secured in any other way. We also were able to 
help the Food Administration. 

There is distinct food for thought in the closing remarks 
of the all too modest Los Angeles chief, made before the 
dissolution date of the A. P. L. was announced : 

In conclusion, I will say that a great deal of good could be 
done by some form of permanent organization of the A. P. L., 
or at least the retention of a nucleus for a continuation of 
this work if it becomes necessary. From time to time certain 
conditions are certain to occur in this country, brought about 
either by war measures or discontent among a certain class, 
which will require drastic handling. The American Protective 
League can secure more valuable information and better assist 
in bringing the attention of the authorities to such facts than 
any other similar body of citizens in the country. 

These are words of gold and show the heart of Los Angeles 
to be certainly in the right place. It is a new and troubled 
America that we have all got to face now, with or without an 
A. P. L. 

As to the odd and interesting stories noted by the Los 
Angeles operatives, the latter as usual seem to take more 
delight in telling of their fiascos than they do of their suc- 
cesses, but saving grace was usually there. For instance a 
woman and her husband living in Glendale were very rabid 



340 THE WEB 

about the war, and hence received a visit. The informants 
turned out to be church members and apparently desirable 
citizens. The female suspected fell into hysterics, cursed the 
Frenchman who lived next door and the Englishman who 
lived several houses beyond, and declared she had bought 
Liberty Bonds and had up flags enough to be left alone. The 
German himself demanded to know by what authority he 
was visited. The League man told him there was plenty 
of authority all right, and that he did not need to specify. 
The suspect took a good hint, and from that time neither the 
man nor his wife was guilty of any public utterance of 
any sort whatever on war matters. 

One Herman F. H claimed that he was a " secret 

service man " and showed a badge and some handcuffs, but 
still talked very pro-German. He said among other things 
that the American people would wake up — that the Kaiser 
would show them something — that we could not win the 
war. His nearest friend was an army sergeant by the name 

of Paul S of Fort McArthur. These two would talk 

together in German. The doughty U. S. sergeant was also 
of the belief that our army had no chance and said the 
soldiers were all dissatisfied. They were both investigated. 
The sergeant was put in jail at Los Angeles. Military Intel- 
ligence took over the rest of the case — and M. I. D. has 
never been noted for its mercifulness. 

An over-zealous woman in one instance reported suspicious 
activity on the part of a family which had a great many 
mysterious packages delivered at their address. She said 
they had quantities of large pipe which they would fill with 
guns and ammunition, also boxes of rifle cartridges. Investi- 
gation proved that some of the mysterious packages were 
only lunch baskets ; that the trucks were hauling large pieces 
of well-casing and sometimes small articles of grocery or 
hardware were slipped into the pipes to save space. They 
had no packages of ammunition at all, and the packages 
of cartridges were only pasteboard boxes containing shelled 
walnuts. Jumpy times. 

A man by the name of M came from Chicago, and 

closely following him came a report that he was wanted 
by the Chicago police. Operatives located the man and 
thought he would look well in the uniform of the United 



THE STORY OF CALIFORNIA 341 

States Army, but the recruiting office, inquiring into tlie 
reason for the Chicago telegram, found that the man had 
served a term in the penitentiary. He was not, therefore, 
classified even as a slacker and he did not get into the Army, 
which will not receive anyone who has served a prison 
sentence. 

Los Angeles had considerable to do with the stoppage 
of propaganda by means of motion pictures, that city being 
the capital of filmdom. Newspaper reports of the cases of 
the film " Patria " and of " The Spirit of 1776 " are famil- 
iar to the reading public. A. P. L. was always on hand for 
film censorship purposes. 

A case which attracted considerable attention was known 
as the von H case. The subject was a native of Ger- 
many, fifty-three years of age, a resident in the United 
States for thirty-two years. He never had become a citizen, 
although once employed in the California post office. Von 
H was a movie actor who did spy parts. He frat- 
ernized with the soldiers and sailors in propria persona, and 
liked to ask them to his room for conversations over the war. 
At length he was arrested. His rooms turned out a mass 
of evidence, including four hundred snap shots and some 
forty letters of the vilest nature. He had intended to send 
this material over to Germany to show the lack of morale 
of the American soldiers and sailors. He had an oil paint- 
ing of the Kaiser, a picture of von Hindenburg and one of 
the German flag. He was sentenced to five years, but it is 
not thought that he will live out his sentence. Perhaps we 
can struggle along without him. 

There is no character in whom the public more naturally 
reposes confidence than in the tried and true negro Pullman 
porter, but this is the story of one such porter accused of 
draft evasion. He was confined in jail but was offered re- 
lease if he would go into the Army. He told the operative 
that he would go all right, but that his check for forty dol- 
lars was not on hand and that he needed about five dollars 
to '' float himself." The operative loaned him the five dol- 
lars and the Pullman porter is still floating. Neither Army 
nor anyone else has heard of him since. 

Most of the more groundless suspicions and imaginings of 
Americans regarding German spies arose among the women 



342 THE WEB 

of the country. Their apprehensions at times would lead 
them to report almost anything. One small demure little 
woman once applied to the headquarters of the A. P. L. in 
Los Angeles and said that she knew parties — German spies 
— who received money from Germany and who had no re- 
sources other than the funds of the German Government. 
The chief asked her upon what she based her information. 
The little lady looked carefully around the room, under the 
table and out of the window, and then came close up to the 
chief before she gave him the real basis of her charge. She 
said that the parties referred to were the possessors of a 
cuckoo clock which she was sure was made in Germany; 
hence they must be pro-Germans, and therefore spies ! 

The German ministers, it seems, infest the Pacific slope 
as well as the northwestern part of the United States. Here- 
with the case of Emile K , minister of a German Meth- 
odist church. An operative went into his church and took 
his seat in the last pew. He reports: 

A broad shouldered man in a frock coat sat down beside 

me, introduced himself as Rev. K and asked me if I 

was one of the Liberty Bond salesmen. I denied any such 
impeachment, saying this to him in German. This seemed to 

please him very much, and Mr. K thawed out. He told 

me after a while that he was born in Wisconsin but that his 
heart was in the right place, like most people that were born 
there in "Little Germany." He said he had been in Mexico, 
where he had spent four years "very profitably." He smiled 
at me — rather meaningly, I thought. He wanted to know 
how the Irish were behaving toward our people in New York. 
He also said that it was too bad the Americans did not want 
to fight. He thought that if the Japanese were to come over, 
it might arouse our manhood. He asked me to be sure and 
call again, as he enjoyed my company very much. There was 
something cold-blooded about this man that made me think 
he would look better in a German uniform than in a preacher's 
coat. What worries me about him — and I hope the A. P. L. 
will square it — is that I had to put a quarter in the collection 
plate to keep up appearances. I demand that two bits back 
. if the A. P. L. ever puts him In the jug! 

An operative was sent out to get a deserter who seemed 
to be rather of an inventive turn of mind. He found his 



THE STORY OF CALIFORNIA 343 

man in a barn, and when the suspect came out, the operative 
ran up and called him by name. The suspect turned and 
asked him if he was arrested. "When the operative asked 
him, " Arrested for what? " he replied, " You know, all 
right." He then admitted that he was a deserter from the 
Navy at San Francisco. He wanted to go into the house 
after some letter paper, but the operative would not let him. 
Afterwards he said he wanted to go in to get a gun, and 
would have shot the operative rather than go with him. Re- 
turned to San Francisco from Los Angeles jail. 

A carload of A. P. L. men went out to a deserted spot 
in the San Fernando Valley near the Los Angeles aqueduct. 
A mysterious G-erman had been seen about, possibly with 
evil intent. Operatives surrounded a small cabin which was 
occupied by a very arrogant German and two women. The 
man on the case reports : "I noticed a big revolver on the 
dresser, secured it and put it in my pocket before we went 
on with the investigation. "We went through all his letters, 
mostly in German, but discovered nothing in the way of evi- 
dence. We told him why we had come and warned him to 
keep away from the aqueduct. He took it all very submis- 
sively, so I thought it would be all right to leave the revolver 
which I had captured. "When I took it out of my pocket to 
look it over, I found that it was empty, the hammer had 
been knocked off and it could not have been fired. But 
' ' you will note, ' ' writes the operative with an exultant note, 
" that I responded fully to the demands of the occasion in 
the way of bravery ! " 

A case came down from Seattle to Los Angeles, having 
to do with an itinerant slacker who came from Penn- 
sylvania and who, since then, had lived in Idaho, Washing- 
ton, and California. The suspect's physical description was 
that of a man six feet tall, weight about 220 pounds, health 
apparently the best, appearance very shabby, an additional 
circumstance being that he had a pronounced aversion to the 
use of water which was very evident at close range. It was 
stated that the man owned at least nine different properties, 
and although indolent, was apparently well to do. He was 
found in possession of Socialist literature, and declared that 
he would not buy bonds or assist the Government or have 
anything to do with the Red Cross. He was asked how he 



344 THE WEB 

would like to join the Army. Since he did not like the prop- 
osition, he was arrested for violation of the Selective Service 
Act, found within the age, and indicted September 20, 1918, 
by the Federal Grand Jury for failure to register for the 
draft. > 

Los Angeles had a practicing physician who fled from 
Germany to escape the rigors of its military laws. When 
war broke out between this country and Germany, this sus- 
pect — for he very soon became a suspect and was placed 
under the espionage of A. P. L. — planned to turn a pretty 
penny by the practice of sabotage, not upon property, but on 
personnel. There were some cowards in this country of so 
yellow a type that they were willing even to have their eye- 
sight tampered with that they might escape the draft. This 
monster in human guise assisted such depraved beings, some- 
times perhaps to the permanent loss of their eye-sight — 
they took their own chances. This man got a sentence of ten 
years in the penitentiary and a fine of $5,000. A woman 
accomplice was sentenced to eleven years penal servitude. 

A German, von B , was a close friend of E. B , 

the two rooming together. The latter was with the National 
Guard of California in the Mexican trouble, was mustered 
out, but registered for the draft, being exempted on the 
grounds of having a dependent wife and child. After he had 

received his exemption, B was told by von B 'to 

get into the Aviation Corps at San Diego, and that he would 
show him how. The exempted man was admitted to the 
Aviation Corps in the United States Army, went to Berkeley 
for three months ' training, and then was transferred to San 
Diego. He is a German and his wife is also. These two 
men were reported to have made a great many mysterious 
trips together. Subject was interned on presidential war- 
rant, it being obvious that neither he nor his room-mate 
meant well towards the United States. 

Can a leopard change his spots? The answer would ap- 
pear to be that he cannot — if he is a German leopard. For 

instance, one William S , a German small grocer in 

Los Angeles, was doing a good business and living very well. 
He had a son enlisted in the Aviation Corps of the United 
States Army at the outbreak of the war. There was no 
reason why he, himself, should not have remained loyal to 



THE STORY OP CALIFORNIA 345 

this country, which had been kind to him. But although he 
had been away from Germany for a score of years, he was 
foolish enough to retain all the German spots. He said that 
Wilson was a Kaiser and that the people ought to kill him : 
and he uttered a good many additional sentiments of like 
sort against this country and its Government. He was so 
bitter in his pro-German attitude that he lost practically all 
of his customers. As a result he began to worry, not only 
for the Imperial German Government, but for himself. And 
then one night he died — which closed the ease for A. P. L. 
and opened it for a Higher Court. Since it has been shown 
in many instances that the River Jordan has not been able 
to wash out the German spots, the query is whether the River 
Styx is any more able to do so? That is the question in 
which all admirers of German Eultur and its practfices are 
interested. 

The A. P. L. in Santa Barbara 

There is an unsettled rivalry between the two types of 
beauty, blonde and brunette, which never will be concluded 
so long as women live and men admire them. So also, one 
supposes, time will not last long enough to determine which 
is the more beautiful and lovable spot — Monterey in North- 
ern California, or Santa Barbara in the South. You can 
start a riot over that question on any railway train on the 
Pacific slope. One man will be ready to shoot anybody who 
does not agree that the Seventeen Mile Drive out of Monterey 
is the most beautiful region in all the world, bar none. It 
is — it is! "Who can deny it? But who, also, can deny 
even at the point of a gun that the Santa Barbara coast is 
also the most beautiful spot in all the world? Besides, the 
latter community has scientific records as ground for the 
assertion that Santa Barbara has the finest mean temperature 
on the North American continent, and hence is the one ideal 
dwelling spot for human beings. It is — it is ! 

But, very naturally, so fair a region as that of the Cali- 
fornia slope must have attracted all sorts and conditions of 
men, evil men as well as good, designing transients as well 
as those calling California home. For this reason Santa 
Barbara also had her organization of the A. P. L. 



346 THE WEB 

One of the colony of wealthy men who had built palatial 
homes in and around Santa Barbara was a certain millionaire 
who had what might be called advanced ideas or free think- 
ing tendencies. Early in the year 1917, Mr. H asso- 
ciated himself actively with the pacifist movement. He had, 
as a co-agitator, a reverend doctor who was pastor in a 
church at Santa Barbara. They both printed pamphlets in 
opposition ^to the war, and finally came out with a book 
which was a very violent denunciation of war in general. 
The two gentlemen divided the authorship of this book, 
H doing the first part and Gr the second. Rev- 
erend G had the advantage of also being able to de- 
liver sermons from the pulpit. He denounced the United 
States Government and referred to the American flag as a 
" worthless rag." After we had declared war with Ger- 
many these men kept on with their activities, hence A. P. L. 
took their cases under advisement with instructions from the 
Los Angeles Department of Justice. There were hundreds 
of operative reports turned in on these two men. 

After a time another book, published by H , came 

out — a very violent arraignment of the Government for 
its stand in the war, and very hot anti-draft literature. These 

publications attracted to H and G a large 

number of the weak-minded people who affiliated themselves 
with the ' ' Fellowship of Eeconcilation " — a society which 
ought to go strong in Berlin, now that the war is over. 

Eeverend G^ was expelled as the pastor of his church, 

following a very seditious letter which he wrote, saying that 
he had relegated the American flag to the flames, express- 
ing sympathy with I. W. W., and opposition to the draft. 
It has always been understood that the climate of California 
attracted a great many people, and the state has always 
seemed to be prolific of great differences of opinion among 
those people, but when it comes to a minister of the gospel 
uttering such things as these, it is going a little strong even 
for the most free-thinking country in the world. 

The H case kept on attaining proportions, and 

heavy shipments of literature were made into Santa Barbara 
and distributed out of that city to various points. All of 
these shipments were followed and full reports were made. 
In the latter part of 1917, another reverend doctor, F. 



THE STORY OF CALIFORNIA 347 

H , and one C. H. B , became active associates 

with the foregoing. Pacifist meetings in Los Angeles were 
raided, and all these parties managed to get themselves 
arrested on a charge of disturbing the peace. 

In April, 1918, a letter addressed to a man in Santa Bar- 
bara, California, who had a name quite similar to the first 
man above mentioned, fell into the hands of A. P. L., because 
the wrong recipient had opened it. It was found to be a let- 
ter from the secretary of the I. W, W. organization at Los 
Angeles, setting a definite date for a meeting at Los Angeles 
where Mr. H was to be present and address the as- 
sembled multitude. The Chief of A. P. L. at Santa Barbara 
notified D. J. in Los Angeles. At the same time, Santa 
Barbara was requested to locate the new reverend, Mr. 
F, H , whose whereabouts now were unknown. 

There now came into the ease a Miss E , a prominent 

young woman who had been a canteen worker and Eed 
Cross nurse in France. Her family were friends of the 

H family, but Miss E was a friend of the 

United States Army above all things. She learned that the 
second reverend was at Modesto, California, and that Mr. 

H would leave Santa Barbara on Sunday, April 7, for 

Los Angeles ; that he would stop at the Alexandria Hotel, 
and would address the meeting on April 8. 

This information was turned over to D. J. at Los Angeles. 

It was decided to arrest all the foregoing alphabetical gen- 
tlemen. About twenty members were assigned to the work 
and these arrests were duly made at 9 :00 P. M. on the night 
of April 8. Certain residences of the above parties were 
searched and an immense amount of liteijature and pamph- 
lets on pacifism and radical Socialism were discovered. Most 
of the books were seized. 

The first mentioned Mr. H — was hard to catch, the 

deputy marshal being obliged to chase him through the 

streets of Los Angeles for several blocks. H had to 

spend his night in the county jail. The next morning he 
telephoned to his mother that he had ' ' spent the night with 
some friends of his, the Marshalls." At least, he had a sense 
of humor, because the only " Marshals " he knew were the 
deputy United States marshals at that time, and he had in- 
d?eed been their guest temporarily. 



348 THE WEB 

All tlie defendants, excepting two incidentally connected 
with the case, were convicted of violation of the Espionage 
Act. The wealthy pacifist millionaire was fined $27,000. The 
vitriolic clergyman first mentioned, and his ally, the clergy- 
man of the second part, were fined $5,000 apiece. Two 
lesser fines of $500 and $100 were imposed also. The 
second reverend doctor was arrested on information fur- 
nished by Santa Barbara A. P. L. to the Los Angeles office. 
Other persons of ultra-pacifist tendencies in Santa Barbara 
have been kept constantly under surveillance. So it would 
seem that in peaceful Santa Barbara all is not always peace 

— unless it is the right sort of peace. 

Santa Barbara made twenty-three arrests and secured fif- 
teen convictions. Fines were collected by the Government 
through A. P. L. investigations amounting to $37,100. Santa 
Barbara had the usual percentage of flivver cases, especially 
as to mysterious signal lights. One of these proved to be 
nothing more dangerous than a night watchman on a rail- 
road track, signalling with his lantern. The operatives un- 
covered one rather tragic case. A Franciscan monk wrote 
to the draft board that his own brother claimed exemption 
falsely, that he was living with another man's wife, and had 
been guilty of forgery. The couple were found making their 
confession. They confessed further before the draft board 
that they both were married but had separated from their 
respective mates. They fell in love and began living to- 
gether within two weeks after they had met, and they had 
lived together as man and wife for some time. The woman 
was released ; the man was inducted into the service and sent 
to camp. 

A Santa Barbara operative evinced a certain sleuthing 
ability in a case which reached its climax when someone 
blew up an old barn at the rear of the place belonging to 
the complaining couple. There was a box containing a set- 
ting hen, malignantly maternal over thirteen eggs. This box 
was within six feet of the place where the explosion occurred 

— but there was not a mark on the box, although the barn 
door had been blown to bits. It seemed that something was 
wrong. Matters simmered down to a spite case of a middle 
aged couple against some neighbors, who finally had deter- 
mined to get their kind of justice by blowing up their own 



THE STORY OF CALIFORNIA 349 

barn — but they did not wish to blow up their valuable hen, 
so they removed her before touching off the charge. 

Santa Barbara County — not the town — reported 94 
cases of disloyalty and sedition, 24 male alien activities and 
20 female alien enemies, besides the 34 I. W. W. cases. The 
man does not live who can predict the end of all the vast 
social problems which will have to be worked out eventually 
on this beautiful Pacific slope. 

The A. P. L. in San Diego 

We have on our southern borders the Mexican situation, 
not yet settled, but one day to be settled. Germany did all 
she could to set Mexico on our heels, and her atrocious Zim- 
merman note was one more instance of her venomous but 
blundering diplomacy. Perhaps she wonders still how we 
got that note when it first was despatched from Mexico; 
and how we sat tight so long with knowledge of it in our 
possession. This is by way of saying that the old Spanish 
city of San Diego is* an important naval base, located close 
to the edge of the intriguing border of the Southwest — and 
a borderland is always a zone of espionage. 

It is, therefore, not surprising to say that San Diego had 
65 cases of alien enemy activities and 842 cases of disloyalty 
and sedition, 286 instances of propaganda and 32 I. W. W. 
cases. For the War Department, there were 554 investiga- 
tions, 98 of these being character and loyalty investigations. 
So that, on the whole, it may be seen that this once indolent 
city of the Southw^est, now a busy center of affairs, also 
had an A. P. L. during the war. 

There is a curious range of cases reported from one and 
another corner of the country to the National Directors of 
A. P. L. Sometimes an extraordinarily troublesome case has 
had very little at bottom; and again a simple case often 
turned out big. Yet again, a case might have all the ear- 
marks of simplicity and prove full of trouble. For instance, 
if you were sent to arrest a woman, you customarily would 
not expect her to disclose herself to be a walking arsenal 
of offensive weapons — a woman 's portative appliances, 
lacking pockets as they do, not seeming to give her natural 
facilities for heeling herself in any way practical for quick 



350 THE WEB 

action. Such, however, proved to be a wrong estimate of a 
certain young lady whom we may call Miss M. E , re- 
ported in connection with certain alleged " German activ- 
ity." She certainly turned out to be active. 

An operative found Miss M. E living in a garage 

about six feet square. The room was in much disorder, show- 
ing trunks, boxes, tin cans and literature all about. Some 
ammunition was found, which the operative left in place. 
He did not open the trunk. Suspect was reported sometimes 
around a print shop, which next was visited. The proprietor 
said that the suspect sometimes did some printing herself in 
his little shop. Neighbors seemed to be afraid of suspect, 
and said she had been seen with a revolver in her coat 
pocket. 

Operative interviewed the suspect herself and asked her 
how about the literature she had been printing. She admit- 
ted she had distributed about one hundred copies of a cir- 
cular. We may at this point allow the operative to tell his 
simple and uneventful story in his own words. 

I then told her we had a search warrant, but she had 
better come down to the Federal Agent. She refused, saying 
she had work to do and must get it out. I told her we had a 
car outside and would bring her back to her print shop, but 
she still refused. I then told her I would walk down with 
her to the print shop and then we could talk over the 'phone 
and get more instructions. When we arrived at the print 
shop, which is about eight feet square, I told Operative No. 9 

to go into the house and call up Mr. W , Federal Agent, 

and ask for instructions. Being warned by the neighbors that 
subject carried a gun, I went into the printing shop and asked 
her if she did carry a gun. She immediately became enraged 
and rushed for her leather grip and pulled out a .38-Colt, fully 
loaded. I made a grab at her, and after a tussle obtained 
possession of the weapon. While putting this gun in my 
pocket, she obtained a hammer and was endeavoring to hit 
me over the head, and also at the same time calling for 
assistance. I now called Operative No. 9 from the house, and 
between us, we obtained the hammer. But in some manner 
she pulled from her clothes a .32-automatic revolver and then 
endeavored to shoot us if possible. Operative No. 9 and myself 
overpowered her and took this gun from her. 

We proceeded to take subject to the car, which was about 



THE STORY OF CALIFORNIA 351 

half a block away. She continually screamed, "Help! Help! 
Won't someone help a good Protestant?" We finally got her 
in the car, and then I sent Operative No. 9 back after my hat, 
her bag, and the search warrant, which we had dropped. I 
stood outside the car, holding subject by one arm, when she 
drew a knife from her bosom and slashed at my hand. I got 
in the car and we tussled again, and I finally got the knife 
away from her. I had just thrown the knife over into the 
front seat of the automobile when she drew a small dirk 
from her bosom. Between Operative No. 9, who had come 
back, and myself, we got this dirk away from her, slightly 
cutting her hand. We then thought it would be best to have 
a witness as to what was going on, and seeing a man standing 
looking at us, we called him. Upon noticing some women 
standing at the corner watching us, I thought it would be 
better to have them come and search her, and upon calling 
them they came over. I told them what I wanted them to do 
and they asked if it would be safe, and told them yes — ^by 
this time. I explained who we were and what we were doing, 
and asked them to search subject and they agreed to do so. 
During their search they found a pocket containing ten bullets, 
sewed on to her petticoat, an 8-inch Bowie knife, and also 
another revolver, a Colt .41, fully loaded. 

Nothing much further seemed to disturb the calm of the 
scene, so the operators took the lady to the county jail, 
where she was later turned over for examination to the De- 
partment of Justice. The two operatives then went back to 
the subject's room and found in every conceivable place am- 
munition of every description. It was sewed in the mat- 
tress, stuffed in tin cans, concealed in her trunk. There 
were also found a Winchester repeating rifle and a Reming- 
ton repeating rifle, and ammunition in all amounting to 
about 1,000 rounds. When her hand-grip was searched at 
the office, it was found to contain four tobacco pouches of 
bullets, sixty-six in all, and a full clip of .32-caliber bullets. 
In the garage where the lady lived, some bottles were found 
and some cans containing powder, which were taken away 
for analysis. 

The District Attorney recognized in Miss M. E a 

woman who had been tried twice for insanity, having been 
sent once to an asylum. She was committed to the State 
Asylum at Patton, and the authorities there were notified 



352 THE WEB 

that in case of her future release she should be kept under 
surveillance. Thus endeth the first lesson, about Miss M. 

E . If she had had more mone;^ probably she would 

have bought more guns. A pleasant day 's work for men not 
on anybody's pay roll. 

San Diego had another case which kept the local division 
going for a time. Among its operatives was a crippled news- 
boy who once belonged to the Army. This lad had both his 
legs cut off in a railroad accident as he was changing from 
one train to another, on his way to a new army post. To 
make a livelihood, he took up a newsboy's occupation and 
became a familiar figure on the sidewalks. He had a board 
to which he fastened a pair of roller skates, and by means 
of a small block of wood he learned to push himself along 
the sidewalks at a very good rate of speed. It came to 
the attention of the division that this newsboy was a very 
keen observer and it was known he had a knowledge of six 
languages. He was enrolled and became very useful — in- 
deed he was at the bottom of one of the biggest and most 
dangerous cases San Diego ever had; which shows that no 
crippled soldiers ought ever to despair. 

The crippled newsboy ate in a certain restaurant, and 
there by chance he overheard a conversation between some 
Mexicans. He got a mass of information and turned it into 
the office, where a report was made to the Navy Department, 
which la^er ferreted out a plot that was laid in Mexico. 
With no more than this passing mention of the A. P. L. oper- 
ative who, like so many others, gets small glory beyond the 
reward of his own conscience, some mention may be made 
of this plot, which really involved the extensive machina- 
tions of Germans in Mexico against the United States. It 
ended in the capture by the United States vessels of the Hun 
raider Alexander Agassiz. 

A young woman owned the Agassiz, but had not been able 
to make much money out of it, and so sold it to one Fritz 

B , once a German naval reservist and for a time chief 

officer on a German ship interned at Santa Rosalia. At 
another period in his career he had been interned at Angel 
Island as an alien enemy. At any rate, he made his way 
to Santa Rosalia, and thence to Matzatlan, where he got in 
touch with the German Consul. B was sent to Mexico 



THE STORY OP CALIFORNIA 353 

City for a conference with, the German Ambassador there. 
There were Germans from all parts of Mexico who ap- 
peared at that meeting. When B — '■ came back, he 

sought out the acquaintance of the young woman who owned 
the boat and induced her to sell it to him. The boat then 
was hauled out and thoroughly overhauled by German sailors 
who had arrived from the fleet of German ships at Santa 
Rosalia. The hull was calked, new sails were bent on, the 
machinery was overhauled, and in general the boat was made 
ready for her career as a raider. 

In the meantime B obtained full armament and in- 
struments for his ship. He had some of his arms on an 
island seven miles northwest of Matzatlan, but he rest of 
the equipment was taken aboard the Agassiz. This was 
carried on openly and the news got out to the American 
Patrol Fleet. A cruiser put in an appearance off the mouth 
of Matzatlan Harbor. Hence, instead of sailing out with 
a crew of twenty Germans, only five Germans were put 
aboard the Agassiz, with two American women and six Mex- 
icans. B figured that the boat would be taken as a 

harmless trader and allowed to go out. He guessed wrong. 
The Agassiz made a dash for the open sea. But by this 
time wireless had brought up two other American warships. 
They closed in on the incipient raider and signaled her to 
heave to. Not being obeyed, they planted a shell in front 
of the raider's bow, which brought her up. 

Before the naval men could get aboard the Agassiz, her 
crew worked as hard as they could to throw overboard every- 
thing of an incriminating nature. They also tried to wreck 
the engine and destroy the bearings in the magneto. The 
blue-jackets found some rifles and revolvers, some German 
flags and a secret cipher. From the papers it was learned 

that B was in hiding at Venados Island. This was 

on Mexican soil, so he could not be seized. 

It was learned that the German Consul at Matzatlan had 
forced all the crew to take the oath of allegiance to the 

Kaiser. He had instructed B to capture speedier 

boats, and after raiding Pacific shipping to work the South- 
ern Pacific, thence to go by the west coast of Africa and 
north on a dash for some German port, so that he might 
send to WiUielmstrasse — Germany 's Scotland Yard — the 



354 THE WEB 

package of papers entrusted to him by the Mexican German 
ambassador. 

Had this raider gotten into the open seas and taken captive 
a faster and better equipped ship, it might have done a very- 
considerable damage to shipping, just as did the several 
German raiders which for a time harrassed the Allied com- 
merce. That her career was stopped at the outset was due 
to the keenness of a legless newsboy, anxious to do his bit 
for the country whose uniform he once had worn. There is 
enough, let us repeat, in this very story to give hope to every 
crippled soldier coming back from France — for this, taken 
in all its bearings, was about as important a piece of work 
as this busy division had, and is one of the biggest of all 
the A. P. L. cases. 

The A. P. L. did not disband at the signing of the Armis- 
tice, and it is well that it did not. San Diego, like many 
another city, has had more than its share of bootlegging and 
vice investigations to carry on, owing to the fact that the 
growing feeling of license, which had developed since the 
Armistice, had spread among our troops. Among those quar- 
tered near San Diego, there were, of course, some not above 
reproach, and the bootlegger was known here as elsewhere. 
This pleasant and peaceful town in the sun-kissed South also 
had its share of the German-born. It would take a Luther 
Burbank, perhaps, to change them, and even Luther ' ' would 
need time." 

There was one man of great wealth naturalized in Cali- 
fornia in 1898, who held a prominent position in San Diego 
business life. He was known to have been in close touch 
with all the famous Germans, and had a pretty good insight 
into affairs American and Mexican. "When we went into the 
war, this suspect became distinctly pro-German and was one 
of the most active propagandists along the border, apparently 
entirely forgetful of the fact that he owed allegiance to the 
United States. Being well acquainted with the German popu- 
lation in Mexico, he and others are alleged to have aided in 
the establishment of a wireless plant in Mexico, and to have 
financed people who ought not to have been financed, in 
view of their past records. It was charged against him by 
fellow-citizens that he worked to some extent with German 
money; that he was connected, at least indirectly, with the 



THE STORY OF CALIFORNIA 355 

Hindu plot ease, and that he knew more than he should 
about the illicit shipment of arms in the Annie Larson steam- 
ship case. In fact, he was charged rather openly with 
having been interested in the German efforts to give aid to 
the ship Maverick in the Pacific Ocean, The wireless plant 
in Mexico was located and wrecked, which spoiled the at- 
tempts of an enemy clique to establish wireless communica- 
tion between Mexico and German ships in Honolulu. 

This same man was linked with the scheme of buying arms 
in New York and shipping them via San Diego into Mexico, 
British Military Intelligence also charged this man with 
being head and front of the most complete pro-German 
organization in that part of the world. He was charged 
with delivering coal from San Diego to a German steam- 
ship. The British Government and that of the United States 
joined hands in following out this pro-German citizen of 
America, He was traced to Europe and found to have 
gone to Berlin instead of to Paris, He was alleged to be 
guilty of fraudulent transactions at an Army post, and a 
man connected with him in his operations has been con- 
victed. He succeeded in getting his son and son-in-law 
exempted from the draft, and attempted to get his son a 
commission in the Quartermaster Department. For months 
United States agents from various departments have been 
after this man, recording every move he made. Finally a 
joint meeting of the several agents of the United States, 
gathered in San Diego, decided that the time was ripe to 
get out a search warrant and go through his place of busi- 
ness, his safety deposit box, and his residence. Just then 
there came a change in the personnel of D. J. — and after 
this adjustment the Armistice ended it all! The investiga- 
tion, therefore, is not closed at this writing, and the Depart- 
ment of Justice is still on the trail of this disloyal " Amer- 
ican." He is one of a great many of his type claiming 
citizenship in this country. 

It would seem that after a native of Germany had passed 
forty-two years in the United States, he would learn to 
feel a certain pride and appreciation of the benefits he had 
enjoyed here. That was not always the case — certainly it 
was not true in the instance of the gentleman who is filed 
away as Case No. 392. This worthy had abused the Allies 



356 THE WEB 

in language too foul to print, and seemed to think that no 
one in this country would resent anything he said. When 
called down by a loyal citizen, he dared anybody to make 
him stop talking. He said that England started the war 
and had an agreement with Belgium whereby England could 
go through Belgium in order to strike at Germany. He 
said England sunk a great many boats and then blamed it on 
the German submarines. He said that England sent one 
hundred and fifty newspaper men here to write up stories 
against the Germans ; that he hoped the submarines^ would 
blow up every damned American boat on the ocean, and sink 
all the transports and ships carrying munitions; that the 
men the Yankees had in Prance in March, 1918, did not 
amount to anything; that the United States couldn't make 

him fight; that this Government was rotten to 

the core. He made other remarks of like violent nature, 
and his remarks against the President of the United States 
were coupled with such language that swift hanging would 
really have been about the only just punishment for him. 
He was arrested and undertook to deny the remarks re- 
ported against him. The jury found him guilty. He was 
sent to prison for three years. He ought by all means to be 
deported when he gets out of jail, and so ought any German 
in this country who has been found at any time to be guilty 
of any such talk. We do not need that sort of '* citizens " 
in America, and we are not going to have them here. 

There was another case. No. 300, in peaceful San Diego, 
in which the suspect seemed anxious to spread broadcast 
every manner of pro-German propaganda. He had been a 
naturalized citizen of this country for twenty years, and 
through his position in one of the city banks, he had been 
closely associated with many of San Diego 's leading busi- 
ness men. Yet, still deep in his heart was that love for the 
Fatherland which made him willing to fight this free coun- 
try where he claimed citizenship and where he had all the 
benefits of our too weakly-lenient Government. It finally 
dawned on the minds of some of the customers of the bank 
that this man was not right. A. P. L. was called on to 
investigate him and worked on the case for months. The 
man was finally taken into custody, and the issue was joined 
between the United States Government on the one hand and 



THE STORY OF CALIFORNIA 357 

this suspect and his influential friends on the other. A long 
trial was had and the jury disagreed. A second trial came 
off and A. P. L. had fifty witnesses ready to testify. The 
result was a conviction and a sentence of four years at Mc- 
Neill's Island. Truly, anyone reading the San Diego cases 
must agree that that division did not lack in energy and 
diligence. 

The A. P. L. in Pasadena 

Life is so idyllic in Pasadena — roses — oranges — that 
sort of thing that you would not suspect that anything evil 
could happen there, or that anyone ever could suspect any- 
one else in those select surroundings. But Pasadena had 
her A. P. L., and they were not in the least above suspecting 
the right people once in a while, as a brief tale or so may 
prove. In short, Pasadena had more than 100 cases of alien 
enemy activities, 321 cases of disloyalty and sedition, of 
which thirty-six were concerned with persons not citizens 
of the United States. These totals show distinctly the 
amount of investigation required of transients, for the War 
Department cases, having to do with the Selective Service 
Act, came to only 155 investigations. 

The B family of Pasadena were known as prom- 
inent pacifists. They held some very pleasant pacifist meet- 
ings in their houses until the Home Guards and the A. P. L. 
got after them. After that their meetings were neither so 
pacifistic nor so pleasant. There was a professor of lan- 
guages at Throop College, who was always a German sym- 
pathizer and who always was very outspoken for Germany. 
He was reported a number of times to the Pasadena A. P. L. 
Throop was made over into a military training school, and 
that was about all for Professor B . He did not last. 

Mrs. Jack C , a society woman of the Maryland Ho- 
tel, was gay and liberal with officers and soldiers — would 
even give them a drink without the formality of their remov- 
ing their uniforms. Eeported to the authorities. No action 
could be taken under the law at that time. 

Miss Helen F was a very arden pacifist and a very 

ardent Socialist as well, and a great friend of some of the 
Socialists who write books and have a national reputation. 



358 THE WEB 

She was investigated by the Department of Justice at Pasa- 
dena, and when she went east to New York last summer, 
the Navy Intelligence had her under its watchful eye all the 
time. Perhaps she does not know that. 

Dr. H of Pasadena was arrested by Federal authori- 
ties, it having been alleged that he '* doctored " the eyes of 
boys who were subject to the draft. 

" Friends of Irish Freedom " — a branch of the Sinn Fein 
organization — contributed to the defense of leaders of the 
latter organization who were on trial in New York, Their 
meetings were attended by two A. P. L, operatives who 
reported to Department of Justice. Meetings discontinued. 

M. J , a prominent Russian, staying at a prominent 

hotel with a prominent count and countess, was kept under 
very prominent surveillance for some time and reported 
daily to the Department of Justice. 

Ben and Robert L were not so prominent, but were 

content with evading the draft, so it was charged. They 
and their mother fled the country and went to San Salva- 
dor in South America. Pasadena Division, A. P. L., greatly 
assisted D. J. in Los Angeles in locating these parties. The 
case was of international interest. 

Then there was the case of Madam P- , reported to 

be the wife of a Russian count who is now a citizen of Ger- 
many and an officer in the German army. Subject arrived 
in America by way of Scandinavia, by way of Germany. 
She pronounced herself as frankly pro-German in a talk 
with the A. P. L. operative, who speaks very good German 
and who claimed to be in sympathy with Germany. In pub- 
lic, Madam is more guarded. She confided to the operative 
that she is getting mail from her daughter in Munich through 
4he president of the Norwegian-American Steamship Line, 
who arranged with the captain for the forwarding and re- 
ceiving of letters. The Department of Justice got all of this 
as well, as did the Postmaster General in Washington. 

In Pasadena you might run against a count or countess 
or baroness almost any way you looked. There was the 

Baroness P , wife of a Philadelphia man, who spends 

her winters in a Pasadena hotel. Very pro-German before 
we went to war, but more quiet since then. She is watched 
whenever she is in Pasadena. It's getting so a lady can 



THE STORY OF CALIFORNIA 359 

do hardly anything at all without those vulgar, dreadful 
people knowing all about it! 

The A. P. L. in Whittier 

This division had thirty-three sedition cases, in spite of the 
glorious climate of California. For instance, information 

came that one Jack H and his wife were pro-Germans. 

They were running a fake jewelry business in Los Angeles. 
An A. P. L. investigation discovered that the gentleman had 
two names; that he left the Pacific Coast in 1910 with 
another gentleman and that they conducted a fur business 
in New York, where they failed handsomely and went into 
elegant bankruptcy. Suspect was alleged to have been con- 
victed of perjury and sentenced to two or three years in the 
Federal prison at Atlanta, Georgia. It was developed fur- 
ther that he was given a stay of execution under bond of 
$10,000. The bond was forfeited and subject came to Los 
Angeles, where he resided with his purported wife and did 
business under the name of Jack H . Upon said in- 
formation, duly secured, the gentleman with the alias was 
arrested, returned to New York, and re-sentenced to three 
years in the penitentiary. His wife is still trying to find 
out where A. P. L. learned all about these things. Tut, tut ! 
Cannot an honest jeweler be allowed to get away from his 
past in the wilds of the Flar West ? 

Whittier is reported to be a quiet Quaker community. It 
has a population of approximately 25,000, being, in effect, a 
suburb of Los Angeles. The local division had forty-three 
men. Whittier always has boasted that it is a place where 
crooks do not congregate. There are Whittier oil fields, 
which are the second best on the Pacific slope, but there were 
no I. W. W.'s in this territory, and no pro-Germans of any 
very outspoken sort, no depredations, but for the most part 
calm, as becomes a Quaker capital. 

The A. P. L. in Orleans 

Perhaps you do not know where Orleans, California, is 
located? And perhaps you did not know that a branch of 
the A. P. L. was located in Orleans? That, however, is the 



360 THE WEB 

case. There were just three members of the Orleans A. P. L., 
and, since there were but three, why not break the more or 
less inexorable rule about names and just give them in this 
case ? J. A. Hunter was Chief at Orleans ; C. W. Baker was 
Secretary ; and P. L. Young was the third member. 
The Chief reports: 

In this small and isolated community, this seemed to be all 
the organization necessary. These men were selected as the 
best representatives of the community, and all subscribed to 
the A. P. L. oath. The local headquarters are at Orleans, with 
no further executive and office force necessary. Expenses 
were nominal and were defrayed by individual members. 
Orleans is an isolated point, 102 miles from a railroad, com- 
munication with the outside being by auto stages. It was easy 
to watch all travel through the district, and the few aliens, 
only two, who were resident were easy to keep track of. 
There is no telegraphic or telephone communication with the 
outside, so all reports had to be made by mail. We looked 
after the work necessary in our district, rendering such as- 
sistance as we were able and were asked to do. We had no 
trouble at any time with the local authorities. 

[Signed] J, A. HUNTER, Chief. 

We may be content to close the story of California, ragged 
and incomplete as it has been, with this report from a little 
mountain community of California. It is what the author is 
disposed to call incontestably the best report that has been 
found in all the great Golden State, if not, indeed, in all the 
United States. 

Only three men, away out in the hills — but all of them 
Americans and all of them ready to work for America — 
that is why this League was great ; because it had men such 
as these ready to do its work, as best they could, in what- 
ever form it came to hand for the doing. One fancies that 
in all the stories of the many different towns reported in 
these pages, there will not be one better received by the great 
brotherhood of the A. P. L. than this one from Orleans, 102 
miles from the nearest rails, with no telegraph and no tele- 
phone. The author of this book hopes to see Orleans some 
time. He believes it may be American. 



BOOK in 

THE FOUE WINDS 

Ho-w Manufactures, Munitions and Agriculture 
were Protected — Briefs of Cases from All Over 
the Country — Chips from the Little Fellow's 
Axe — Odds and Ends from the Files — The Far- 
Flung Work of the A. P. L. 

I The Stoby of the East 

New York — Pennsylvania — New Jersey — Connecticut — 
Massachusetts — Delaware — Rhode Island — New Hamp- 
shire — Maine — Vermont. 

II The Stoby of the North 

Ohio — Indiana — Michigan — Illinois — Wisconsin — 
Minnesota — Missouri — Iowa — South Dakota — North Da- 
kota — Kansas — Nebraska. 

Ill The Stoby of the South 

Maryland — Virginia — West Virginia — North Carolina — 
South Carolina — Georgia — Alabama — Mississippi — 
Florida — Kentucky — Tennessee — Louisiana — Texas 
— Arkansas — Oklahoma. 

IV The Story of the West 

Colorado — Montana — Netv Mexico — Utah — Arizona — 
Wyoming — Idaho — Nevada — California — Oregon — 
Washington — Alaska. 



CHAPTER 1 

THE STORY OF THE EAST 

In deplorably skeletonized fashion, we have offered a brief 
story of the League's growth, its purposes and its methods, 
and the stories of some of its great centers. But how about 
the country -wide achievements of the League, its field story ? 
How can it be told? It is matter of regret that in no pos- 
sible way can that ever be put within the compass of book 
publication. The records of these millions of cases, as has 
been said, runs into tons. 

If you should visit the division offices, for instance, of 
New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Chicago, or any 
other large A. P. L. center, you would see in each city a 
room full of filing cabinets, with indexed drawers, carrying 
in permanent form the story of the League's work in that 
given locality. Mass all these from the hundreds of cities 
engaged in the work, and you would have a pile of filing 
cabinets as high as a tall building. Go to the National Head- 
quarters and you would find more rooms full of cabinets, 
covering the national work — an enormous total, painstaking, 
exact, correct. Go over to the Military Intelligence and you 
see more of the League's work there. Go to the Department 
of Justice and look at the vast accumulations there at hand 
from the reports of this auxiliary. 

Now, in imagination, pile all this uncomprehended assem- 
blage of records into the middle of some park or square and 
have a glance at it in mass. In that mountain-pile of writ- 
ten and printed material, thousands of brains have recorded 
their soberest and most just conclusions, and have told why 
they concluded thus or thus. Thousands of stenographers 
have worked long days and nights on these tons of millions 
of pages. Be sure, in this mass of a nation 's story in counter- 
espionage, there is to be found, ticketed and tabulated, filed 
and cross-indexed under name and number, as part of the 
archives of the United States, the life and actions, the birth, 

868 



364 THE WEB 

derivation, antecedents, con^dctions, assertions and beliefs of 
practically every man and woman of German name in 
America. But close to the foot of this mass of the archives, 
lay down upon the ground a book, a volume of ordinary 
size ; let us say, this book now in your hand. How small it 
seems! It is small. It is no more than a fraction, a mite. 
It is not enough. Some man's loyal, unpaid, patient labor 
went into every one of these records. 

There came, curiously, cumulatively, the feeling that this 
was not merely a mass of quasi-public documents, but an 
assemblage of the most valuable human documents ever col- 
lected in America. This was massed proof, not of work, but 
of patriotism. Then we did have, we do have, a country; 
there is a real America? Yes, and let no man doubt it ever 
again. It is a great and splendid country. These hundreds 
of thousands of pages which have been read — and every 
report sent in has been read — make the greatest reflex of 
America it ever has been the privilege of any man to know. 
Talk no more of a merely material America — it is not true. 
The real America at least is a noble, a splendid, a patriotic 
country, eager to do its share, determined to take its place. 

The bewildering amount of material from all over the 
United States made condensation and classification alike dif- 
ficult. It was therefore decided to separate the country into 
four loosely divided sections, the North, the East, the West, 
the South, and to throw into each division just so many 
condensed reports, taken at random from the whole as might 
be possible within the existing space limitations. 

In the East and Northeast were located many or most of 
the great munition works and embarkation points as well as 
many centers of war work, manufacturing and shipping. 
This meant one form of work for the A, P. L. In the great 
middle section of the country — the semi-industrial, semi- 
agricultural central and north-central states — the activities 
of the League were slightly more varied. This cluster of 
inland states we have grouped as North, The South is known 
almost traditionally ; and the "West may arbitrarily be made 
to cover the far lands to the Pacific Coast itself, the state 
of California, with its great cities, alone being given sub- 
classification in another section of this volume. Into these 
several hoppers the grist was thrown. 



THE STORY OF THE EAST 365 

Would you like a real history of the war, a story which 
does convey a comprehensible picture ? The simplest way is 
the best way. Read the Atlantic Monthly for January, 1919. 
Does it give a great pen picture by some artist in words? 
No. But it gives verbatim translations of bits of conversa- 
tion heard by a nurse in a hospital full of wounded Rus- 
sian soldiers; detached, disconnected comments, points of 
view, records of personal experiences. That is great report- 
ing — the greatest reporting in the world. Had our more 
famous correspondents kept away from the routine of the 
alleged ' ' front ' ' and gone into the hospitals for a half mil- 
lion personal statements of wounded men of every nation, 
they would not have failed to show us the war. They would 
have written a great story of the war — a real history of the 
war. Now the astonishing thing about the record of the 
A. P. L. is that its reports came in precisely that way. The 
story of the League becomes a history of the country served 
by the League. 

NEW YORK 

Once in a while an operative landed a big case on a small 
clue. A New York operative was sent out to look up one 

R. R. A , an employe of a shirtwaist factory, who was 

alleged to have said that he knew how to beat the draft. The 
same suspect was heard to say that he knew of four men, 
the knowledge of whom would be worth $10,000 to the 
United States. When interviewed by an A. P. L. operative, 
he denied most of the allegations made against him, but he 

did give the name of an Austrian army officer named L 

who had plans of submarines and battleships of the United 
States. This latter gentleman was foUowed, his baggage 
searched, and the plans confiscated. 

Chautauqua County, New York, includes the cities of 
Jamestown and Dunkirk, each of which had an A. P. L. 
branch, the former being the first to organize, June 26, 1918. 
The Chautauqua County division proper was organized as 
late as October 28, 1919, an assistant chief being appointed 
for Jamestown and for Dunkirk. The entire county covers 
an area of about 1,000 square miles ap4 has a population of 
more than 100,000. 



366 THE WEB 

The League was of great service in rounding up delin- 
quents who failed to return questionnaires. Local Board No. 
1 of the Jamestown District on November 20, 1918, had 
ninety-eight delinquents. By December 10, the A. P. L. had 
reduced that number to twenty-one, and since then fifteen 
more have reported, leaving only six delinquents out of a 
total registration of 2,135. 

The community was carefully organized with regard to 
each of the financial war drives. In the war stamps cam- 
paign one E was discovered selling stamps with- 
out having been authorized to do so. Investigations showed 
that he had been secretary of the local branch of the 
German- American Alliance and was in constant association 
with alien enemies. An associate of his, who may be called 

E , said that the German Club was pretty much run by 

a man named F , an Austrian enemy alien who be- 
longed to some lower order of German nobility but had moved 
to Austria. He became an " Austrian " when the United 
States declared war on Germany, but was willing to claim 
citizenship in any country now that diplomatic relations 
were severed with Austria, since he could speak several lan- 
guages. The A. P. L. found means to inspect the living 

rooms of P , discovering great quantities of German 

papers and an Austrian flag. The remainder of the story, 
told in the words of the Chief's report, shows how a mighty 
small fire sometimes can generate an enormous volume of 
smoke: 

We learned fhat F had. admitted himself to be 

engaged in getting German subjects out of the United States 

and into the German army. Operative on the case, R , 

was confidentially informed by him that six thousand men had 
left this country the preceding month and were to be carried 

by the large trans-Atlantic submarines, F himself was 

going to sail October 4. 

The operative invented a German cousin whose wife was in 

Germany, and told L that this cousin was very eager to 

get across. The cordial clubman instructed him to write a 
letter to "Freiherr Hans von Ungelter," former German Con- 
sul in New York, and enclose it in another envelope, which 
should b'^ addressed to (name given), care of General De- 
livery, New York. The addressee's name, operative was in- 



THE STORY OF THE EAST 367 

formed, changed week by week. Further, it was learned that 

the system followed by L 's New York friends was to 

give men physical examinations, and if found fit, to furnish 
free transportation through the channels mentioned above. 
The sole requirements were loyalty to Germany and a sound 
physique. Operative stated that he showed surprise when 

L gave him this information, and said: "Then the 

report that a German captain was seen in New York was 

true?" F replied: "Certainly, they stay there a wepk 

at a time, taking in the theatres and waiting for their cargoes 
to be delivered at various ports, where they pick them up on 
their way to Germany." 

R furnished the name of the New York man for the 

current week, and a good operative went to New York to con- 
fer with the Special Agent of D. J. there and with the New 
York Division A. P. L. General Delivery was covered, but noth- 
ing showed. A second week was tried with the same result. 
Operative was then asked to arrange an interview with 

F for his supposed cousin, but F , according to 

operative, refused to talk or to see this cousin. 

R came back to us declaring that F knew he 

was being watched and suspected him, and might kill him. 
Tension was high at local headquarters. Then we started 

in to investigate R who had been our informant right 

along. We learned that his record was none too good, for he 
had offered to procure releases for drafted men for amounts 

ranging from $15 to $30 a head. We then traced R back 

to Buffalo and got this report: "Great talker and fine sales- 
man, but always away over his head." In other words there 
was no case and never had been one. By this time we had 

almost forgotten E , the thrift stamp man. We were 

younger in detective work then than we were later. 

A report comes from Jamestown, New York, regarding one 

whom we will call Henry D , described as follows : 

" Known to many in this town as strongly pro- German; a 
radical socialist ; believed to be an anarchist ; has been very 
active going from one town to another. He left Jamestown 
for Roekford, Illinois ; he went thence to Chicago, thence to 
Grand Rapids. From the latter city he came back to James- 
town. He has now gone to New York. We understand he 
is contemplating a trip to the old country. Has been very 
secretive about his movements. Seems to spend a great 
deal of money in travel, although he is only a workman ; has 



368 THE WEB 

boasted that lie had strikes called in every shop to which he 
was sent." This man was put under surveillance by the 
New York office of the American Protective League under 
charge of being a dangerous alien enemy, and was properly 
dealt with. 

There were no instances of violence in Chautauqua County 
arising out of the war situation. The community was at all 
times right side up. Those who have sought; to belittle or 
impede any war activity were effectively stilled. 

Schenectady, New York, organized its division on March 1, 
1918, with one chief, two captains, four lieutenants, and 
eighteen operatives. The division conducted sixty-seven in- 
vestigations for character and loyalty; forty-two under the 
Espionage Act ; twenty-six cases of propaganda, and fifteen 
of draft evasion. The division was commended by the War 
Department for showing a high standard of efficiency; also 
by the Federal Reserve Bank at Albany. Schenectady has a 
large foreign population, among whom may be found quite 
a good proportion of radical Socialists. These people were 
expected to make trouble when we went to war, especially 
as two of the largest local industrial concerns, the General 
Electric Company and the American Locomotive Company, 
were engaged on munitions and other war work. There was 
no overt act, however, but on the contrary, the people of the 
city proved intensely patriotic, over.-subscribing every loan, 

Rochester, New York, reports routine work for its division, 
but had a good many operatives ready for any emergency 
that might arise. The record-cases do not represent the 
amount of work actually done, but yield the following fig- 
ures : Character and loyalty reports, 190 ; selective service, 
4; training camp activities, 2; liquor and vice, none; war 
risk insurance, 1 ; sedition and disloyalty investigations, 25. 
Rochester would seem to have been much more pacific — not 
paeifistic — than at first would be expected. 

Albany, New York, offers an instance of a phenomenon 
more or less frequently recurrent during the war — namely, 
the apprehensiveness of the feminine mind as regards mys- 
terious flashlights in the stilly night. The informant stated 
that for some time she and her neighbors had been watching 
flashes which came from a certain house at night and kept up 
for a long time. She was very much excited. Two oper- 



THE STORY OF THE EAST 369 

atives visited the vicinity shortly after dark. A light did 
appear which might have been that of a lantern. It would 
dim and come on again. The informant stated that some- 
times the light would grow as bright as an automobile light, 
and sometimes it would seem to be red. The next morning 
the operatives found a farmer plowing near the suspicious 
house. He admitted that he owned the house. He said he 
and his wife were American born, of British grandparents. 
The operatives asked him about the mysterious lights. Smil- 
ingly he asked them to go through the house. It then was 
clearly evident that the light they had seen came from a lamp 
in the middle of a room. The mysterious intermittent 
flashes were only due to persons passing between the lamp 
and the window. The farmer also said he often worked 
nights bundling up beets, carrots, radishes, etc., which he 
had pulled during the afternoon and expected to take to early 
market the next morning. He usually did this work just 
outside the house on a bench. On inquiry as to what he 
used, he showed a large carriage lantern with a reflector, in 
the back of which was a piece of red glass. So the women 
had been right after all. He would move this lantern from 
one end of the bench to the other as he worked, and this made 
the changes in the color of the light. The intermittent flashes 
were due to his passing back and forth in front of it. 

A big chemical poison scare was nipped in the bud by the 
investigation of a German woman who was found putting up 
capsules of a white powder in her house. Of course, nothing 
less than poison for our soldiers and sailors could be pre- 
dicted. Investigation proved that though the woman was of 
German descent, she was entirely loyal to this country. She 
made a little extra money at home filling capsules for a drug 
house in the city. These capsules contained bicarbonate of 
soda, tartaric acid, etc., and the woman took a few of them 
in the presence of the operatives to show that they were 
harmless. Thus, another case proved to be a " dud. ' ' 

An alien enemy was wanted at Albany, reported by D. J. 
to be traveling on a motor-cycle. It was known that he had 
a girl not far away and called on her or wrote to her occa- 
sionally. The mails in this case, as in many others, were 
used for decoy purposes. A registered special delivery let- 
ter, marked for personal delivery only, was mailed to him 



370 THE WEB 

at the girl's address, with the idea that she would give for- 
warding directions to the messenger who delivered the letter. 
The result was better than expected. When the messenger 
arrived at the house, he saw a man just about to leave on a 
motor-cycle, and thinking that this might be the man, he 
hailed him and presented the letter. The suspect signed for 
the letter and was at once arrested and turned over to the 
Department of Justice. 

Syracuse, New York, had a man at the head of its divi- 
sion who, before he came an A. P. L. chief, had made four 
hundred investigations, and since that time has directed one 
hundred and fifty more. A very close liaison was main- 
tained with the Department of Justice and the local police 
department. 

Just as valuable as though it recorded some great crime 
is the report from Hudson Falls, New York: " Our com- 
munity is made up of loyal, patriotic citizens, who responded 
to each and every call to duty. We have been active in local, 
state and national matters throughout the war." 

PENNSYLVANIA 

It is hard to tell what is going to become of all the military 
fakes and pseudo-heroes now that the war is over. Take, 
for instance, the case of one Captain Robert H , osten- 
sibly in the United Statep Navy, who fancied Philadelphia 
as his residence. This worthy captain was also known by 
other names. Sometimes he wore a uniform of an ordinary 
seaman with overseas service wound stripes, although he 
never saw service abroad. He wrote to his wife that he had 
been wounded and told her to hang out a service flag with a 
silver star, which she dutifully did. The star had not hurt 

Captain H , so why not put it in the window? This 

gentleman spoke of a great many flag-raisings and elabo- 
rated on the seventy-two days he had spent in the trenches. 
He told all about German atrocities, and quite often took up 
collections for sick and wounded soldiers and sailors in the 
name of this or that hospital. There never yet has been 
found a hospital to which he has turned over a dollar. Nat- 
urally a good organizer, this young officer invented a good 
Navy of his own, the " Naval Home Defense," and at one 



THE STORY OF THE EAST 371 

time had enlisted one hundred and fifty-six members, includ- 
ing one lady and her two young sons. The project came to 
grief because of a generous order for some uniforms, costing 
something like $1,000, which was placed with a local clothing 
firm and had to be paid for. It is too bad, because the organ- 
ization also had a ladies' auxiliary, his wife being president 
thereof. This is only one of a very great number of cases of 
imposters parading as officers of this or that country. 

Bradford, Pennsylvania, is in the heart of the big oil 
country, and it had its own troubles by reason of its neces- 
sarily motley population. A very interesting report on local 
conditions, submitted by the Chief of McKean County Divi- 
sion, says: 

At the outset we were confronted with a situation fast 
becoming serious, as so many industrial claims had been 
allowed by the district board. Only one or two young men of 
social prominence had been inducted into the service, and 
charges were frequently made that the Government did not 
intend taking men of wealth or prominence and that it was 
the laboring men who would have to do the fighting. The 
Socialist element was quick to take advantage of this situa- 
tion, and men who left here for the service went away feeling 
that they had been discriminated against. 

We took up this situation with the Department of Justice, 
who sent us a Special Agent. A contingent of boys leaving 
for the front did some printing reflecting very seriously on 
the methods of the draft board and scoring the local slackers. 
They had planned to put a banner on their train with such 
inscriptions as, "My father owns an oil well, but I didn't 
claim exemption"; "We have a garden in our back yard, but 
I am not a farmer"; etc. We headed off this plan, but the. 
worst thing about it was that many of the names upon the 
slacker list referred to were of men who had legitimate rea- 
sons for exemption. At the same time, there were some men 
named who clearly ought to have been inducted into the service. 
To silence criticism, we had a district draft board man come 
to Bradford, and with him we went over a lot of cases which 
had caused trouble. As a result, many of these cases were 
reclassified, and many men inducted into the service. This 
caused an entire change of opinion here, and since then we 
have had no trouble of that nature. 

We had one exemption claimer, a young Jewish merchant, 
who told a very pathetic story about dependents — among 



372 THE WEB 

others, a blind father and an invalid brother. This young 
Hebrew was of the belief that he could do so ranch more for 
his country if left at home to take care of these unhappy 
relatives of his. Investigation did not seem to bear out his 
point of view. He was not, however, turned over to the 
authorities for action in regard to his statements, as he was 
wanted for the army more than for the courts; and yet, when 
he was turned over to the medical men for examination, it 
was found that he had something which he did not know he 
had — serious heart trouble which actually exempted him ! 
There are some people you can't beat any way of the game. 

A Bradford pro-German, born in Germany but naturalized 
before the war, has always been socialistic. Put under ob- 
servation, he was heard to say in the presence of many, at 
a meeting in honor of a man who was going to join the 

colors: ''Here is your capitalistic system taking 

the best men we have and leaving men like " His re- 
marks were resented and caused a row. Investigated and 
reported to Department of Justice at Pittsburgh, this pro- 
German was arrested and placed u^nder indictment. 

At one of the plants the loyal workingmen had fixed it 
all up to paint annan a nice yellow color because he did not 
subscribe to any Liberty loans. A. P. L. operatives arrived 
just in time to prevent the frescoing above mentioned. The 
suspect himself was taken aside and argued with by the A. P. 
L., with the result that he presently disclaimed his disloyal 
remarks, said he was sorry, and wanted to buy some bonds 
with the other boys. ^ 

The Chief goes on to say that Bradford operated under 
cover as much as possible. A good many townsfolk, he 
says, could not identify A. P. L. at all, although there were 
very few who did not know that there had been some sort 
of checking up of pretty much the entire population in mat- 
ters of interest to the Government. This impression aided 
in suppresing a great deal of radical and seditious talk, and 
served as a warning to others not to begin that sort of thing. 

Reading, Pennsylvania, reports 170 cases of alien enemy 
activities, 226 cases of disloyal and seditious talk, 38 cases of 
investigation of radical organizations, such as the I. W. "W. 
Among other interesting stories contained in the Reading 
report is one which has to do with a professional labor agi- 



THE STORY OF THE EAST 373 

tator, a wrong telephone number and an alert A. P. L. oper- 
ative. A workman called up a man whom he supposed to be 
his friend, and stated that there was going to be a strike 
pretty soon at a certain factory. The recipient of the mes- 
sage happened to be an A. P. L. operator, who at once took 
up the trail and located his man in the shop where he was 
employed. Witnesses soon were found who proved that this 
was the man who had started the strike agitation. He had 
been there only two weeks. He had been in three other plants 
where they were doing Government work and had made 
trouble in each plant. He knew the percentage of Govern- 
ment work in each factory where he had been employed. He 
was sent to Philadelphia for full handling. It seemed that 
he was trying to get in touch with an official of a Socialist 
organization and pulled the wrong telephone number by mis- 
take ! You could never tell in war times when you were 
talking to an A. P. L. man. 

Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania, had sixty-six members enrolled. 
Considerable character and loyalty investigation work was 
done, and a great deal of seditious talk was stopped which 
otherwise might have caused trouble. The Chief adds: 
" The mere fact that such an organization as ours existed 
and that we were working in secret had a wonderful moral 
effect on the entire community. I regret exceedingly that 
this organization has to be dissolved, and am of the opinion 
that it will play an important part in the readjustment which 
is now taking place." 

Meadville, Pennsylvania, had the usual routine work on 
deserters, delinquents, etc., and fourteen operatives were kept 
busy throughout the community. The Chief modestly says : 
" We did everything we could for our country." 

Bristol, Pennsylvania, did not turn anything in to the 
Federal courts, but weeded out a number of undesirable alien 
enemies from the shipbuilding plants in that locality. The 
League gave very material assistance to the State Constabu- 
lary and Borough Police Officers in making investigations. 

NEW JERSEY , 

The Trenton, New Jersey, district was one of busy en- 
vironments, and it offers a number of three-star cases. Let 



374 THE WEB 

US consider one Graboski, who had a friend, Grabinski, who 
tipped off the A. P. L. that Graboski was not a carpenter, 
but a chemist with a doctor's degree from a foreign univer- 
sity. This amiable masqueradei* was believed to have been 
instrumental in blowing up the plant of the General Electric 
Company at Schenectady, New York. In view of his infor- 
mation, Grabinski was dealt with leniently, but Graboski was 
followed to his boarding-place and was there found in bed 
listening to the conversation of the occupants down stairs. 
He was taken before the United States District Attorney as 
a preliminary to his internment in a southern detention 
camp. 

Much more proper than contrary is the conduct of a Ger- 
man bearing the homely name of Schmidt, living near 
Trenton, New Jersey. Investigation was made on report 
of a neighbor. By the time the operative called, Schmidt 
had a service flag in his window. Many different subjects 
were discussed, including music. Old man Schmidt had no 
more investigations after he declared himself: 

Yah, ve Chermans ist fond of musik. I like musik, und 
mine vife, she like it to. I haf der old violin vot I brot mit 
me from Chermany. I blay him a liddle alvays — old Cherman 
tunes — vot ist all I know. Maybe you hear me sometimes 
— last year, vot? No? Veil, I blay him not any more now. 
You see, der boy — mine son — you don't know him — he never 
live mit us here — he vork in Chicago — he ist in American 
Army already. XJnd I luf to blay, but all vot I know ist 
shust Cherman tunes — dat's all — so I don't blay any more. 
I hav der old viddle avay put. 

Trenton, New Jersey, staged a draft raid with two hun- 
dred A. P. L. men and a detachment from Philadelphia 
under the leadership of the Assistant Chief of that city. At 
the Trenton Fair there was a crowd of 75,000 people. The 
raiders set out in fifty automobiles and broke up into small 
parties. At four o'clock in the afternoon the dragnet went 
to work, and no one was allowed to leave the grounds without 
credentials. Even the fences were watched. All operatives, 
whether from the Department of Justice or the A. P. L., 
worked with courtesy, and there was no more difficulty in 
getting out of the grounds than there would be in getting into 



THE STORY OF THE EAST 375 

a theatre if provided with a ticket. Many of the men appre- 
hended were farmers from out of the way places and had 
their wives and children with them. Those being evidently 
not of the slacker variety were released with the understand- 
ing that they report to their local boards. No one was de- 
layed unnecessarily. After this, all the side shows and 
amusements were combed out, and several men were picked 
up in this way. About 300 were apprehended and taken to 
the armory, where their cases were passed on. Four deserters 
from our Army were taken, and the British Military Police 
apprehended a man, thought to be a pickpocket, who was 
masquerading in a Canadian uniform. This raid was con- 
ducted after the much criticised New York slacker drive, 
and the contrast was commented upon by the local press. 

CONNECTICUT. 

New Haven, Connecticut, might very well have been a 
seat of trouble, but appears to have pursued the usually 
even tenor of her way, sending her young men out in hun- 
dreds to fight the country's battles, and making very little 
fuss about it. The division took part in five minor slacker 
raids, in which the men gave satisfactory account of them- 
selves, working closely in touch with the Department of 
Justice and the Military Intelligence, especially in the mat- 
ter of protection of the large munition factories against 
sabotage. New Haven is one of the great American centers 
for the making of firearms, and that there has been no 
serious trouble there is a matter of congratulation. There 
were 226 investigations made for the War Department, each 
investigation necessitating interviews with at least three per- 
sons. The organization at New Haven was quiet, even tem- 
pered, and strictly efficient, a fine example in a state which 
was very strong in its A. P. L. organizations. 

New London, Connecticut, besides routine activities, had 
one case which involved the trailing of a count, a princess, 
a Eussian banker, a Greek candy manufacturer, and a prize- 
fighter, besides a person described as a " male," but who 
proved to be a young lady in a well-known local family. 
With these ingredients as preliminary, it might almost be 
sufficient to tell any reader to write his own ticket — and in- 



376 THE WEB 

deed the case is not yet closed. It will probably turn out to 
be one of American Bolshevism. The Chief says there is 
enough in this for a good movie scenario. As much might 
be said for another pro-German case in which the beautiful 
and accomplished suspect was followed by D. J. men, who 
installed a dictograph in her hotel apartments. This case 
also had to do with a draft of $14,000 traced from Montreal 
to a New York bank, through which British Secret Service 
men discovered a paymaster of German spies in this coun- 
try. This woman met several Army and Navy officers in the 
course of her travels along three-fourths of the Atlantic 
Coast. It is most disappointing to have the Chief add: 
" We are unable to disclose for publication any further 
facts at this date." 

New London had a number of special investigations, some 
of them interesting, others ludicrous. One of the latter was 
Case No. 245, Subject " Mysterious Flashes." A woman 
residing on the shore reported mysterious flashlights, inter- 
mittent, but long continued. She was sure of nothing less 
than a German invasion. An operative was put on the ease 
and worked five hours one night. He found a mysterious 
man walking up and down the beach. He had an electric 
torch which he flashed here and there, muttering to himself 
the while, and now and then putting something in his 
pocket. Summoning all his nerve, the operative cried: 
" Halt! Who goes there? " Inquiry proved that the man 
was in sailor garb. When questioned as to the nature of 
his mysterious actions, he replied: ** I am catching night- 
crawlers for fishing. I want to get some eels for my break- 
fast." 

Mystic Village, Connecticut, furnished another scare of 
the same variety. Near the village is a hill, known as Lan- 
tern Hill since Colonial days, because it is a convenient 
signal post. Stories got out about mysterious lights on 
Lantern Hill. On one clear night the investigators saw what 
seemed to be unmistakable signalling. The light was bril- 
liant and changed in color from green to red. State and 
Naval authorities resolved to look into the matter, and it was 
arranged that on a given night patrols of naval reservists 
from the submarine base and detachments of the Home 
Guard should surround the hill, while forces of the Guard 



THE STORY OF THE EAST 377 

were to patrol the shores of the sound to catch sight of any 
answering signals from the sea. The patrols were duly set, 
and, sure enough, the light began to show as brilliant and 
mysterious as could be asked. It seemed to swing at an 
altitude of about two hundred feet above the woods. It 
occurred to one of the naval officers on watch that with the 
aid of his powerful night glass and a convenient perpendicu- 
lar presented by the side of the barn, he might triangulate 
the position of the light. He had not been at this very 
long when he broke out into laughter and announced that 
what they had taken to be a mysterious light was only a 
star rendered abnormally brilliant by the refractive effect of 
the damp night air. Its later disappearances were accounted 
for by the later rise in altitude, when of course the light 
would cease to be distinguishable from others of like alti- 
tude. Taking it all in all, this about finished the cases of 
the many mystic lights which were reported from time to 
time. 

Litchfield, Connecticut, up near the stern and rockbound 
coast, offers a good example of sober-going loyalty. There 
were only fifty-one cases of seditious talk and twenty of 
propaganda, whereas the selective service regulation involved 
734 eases. 

Ansonia, Connecticut, was honored by the presence of a 
Eussian Soviet Society called the " Society Lunch," which 
had regular meetings and was organizing other societies in 
nearby towns. Sometimes this society would get a speaker 
from the outside, such as the editor of the Biissian Voice, 
published in New York. The city of Ansonia did not like 
these things; inasmuch as they tended to promote anarchy 
and foster revolution. The division had one of its opera- 
tives among the membership, he having joined the society 
for the purpose of reporting on its activities. What the 
society did became henceforth a matter of interest not only 
to its membership, but also to the local body of A. P. L. 
vigilantes. 

The Chief of Norwalk, Connecticut, worked in close touch 
with the police of his city and was on the lookout for the 
various alien enemies reported from headquarters. He says : 
" No alien enemy actually apprehended in my district. The 
only way we can account for it is that they were afraid to 
come here. ' ' 



378 THE WEB 

Essex, Connecticut, says something which will meet gen- 
eral agreement: " We firmly believe that the A. P. L. has 
done an inestimable work in the protection of our country. 
Every man in this division is glad of the opportunity af- 
forded to be enrolled as an A. P. L. member. ' ' 

MASSACHUSETTS 

Springfield, Mass., had only nineteen members in its 
division. That we may know the nature of the League 
membership as a whole, let us look at the qualifications of 
these nineteen men. They included a lawyer, a physician, 
a broker, a private secretary, a social service worker, an ad- 
vertising manager, a college president, a bank president, a 
furniture buyer, a merchant, a superintendent of the Brad- 
street Company, a traveling salesman, a life insurance agent, 
a masseur, a surgeon, a musician, a shipping foreman, a 
bank teller and a high school teacher. The work of the 
Springfield division had to do largely with character and 
loyalty investigations, which ran all the way from nobody 
at all to a bishop in the Episcopal Church. Some male and 
female applicants for Y. M. C. A., K. of C. and Red Cross 
were found unfit " either because of immoralities or bad 
habits." Once in a while a case of disloyalty and sedition 
came up which would cause a smile. An applicant for a 
commission whose father was a Belgian and whose mother 
was a German was investigated and was found to be a loyal 
American. When questioned, he said he was for the United 
States of America, but that " father would never forgive 
mother for the invasion of Belgium. ' ' 

A more spectacular Springfield case hung on a letter sent 
by the War Department to the A. P. L. reading as follows : 

Will you please have your agents investigate a man living 
at 71 Catherine Street, Springfield, Massachusetts, known as 

August X , and report the result of their investigation 

to me? 

The final result of this investigation was that the subject 
was interned, having been proved to have been a former sol- 
dier in von Kluck's army of invasion in 1914, who had been 



THE STORY OF THE EAST 379 

taken prisoner by the French, had escaped from France to 
the United States and drifted to Springfield, where he got 
employment in a machine shop. ' ' I have always wondered, ' ' 
says the Chief, '' from whom the War Department received 

the first information regarding August X , and won- 

r'er if again we have a case of cherchez la femme." 

DELAWARE 

This state is not one of the largest in the Union, and its 
report is not one of the largest in the world, but it fore- 
shadows a very satisfactory state of affairs, both past and 
future. 

Mr. Robert Pennington was State Inspector for Delaware. 
He worked by means of three county associates and a full 
set of captains, one for each representative district of the 
State. A great deal of routine work was handled, much of 
which had to do with applications for commissions, overseas 
service, etc., as well as a certain number of sedition and dis- 
loyalty cases. Some Red Cross rumors were run down, and 
at least one important investigation was made of a man who 
was putting out machinery better adapted for mixing ex- 
plosives than for grinding alleged dental powder. These 
machines were to be shipped to Switzerland to a point near 
the German border. Some draft evaders, deserters and 
slackers were rounded up duly. Many investigations were 
made by the various chiefs and reported direct to Washing- 
ton. The State Inspector had almost daily requests from 
the Department of Justice in Washington in the matter of 
draft deserters. 

RHODE ISLAND 

Providence, R. I., had a good active organization of 275 
members, all loyal and hard-working Americans. They did 
yeoman service in assisting the local branch of the Depart- 
ment of Justice, whose offices were so crowded with work at 
times that the help of the League was sorely needed. 

The A. P. L. in Wakefield, R. I., was small but busy, like 
aU the rest of that great little State. Much of the League's 
activity in this district had to do with covering the rough 



380 THE WEB 

and broken seashore, a region largely occupied by well-to-do 
Germans. Some of these alien inhabitants were found to be 
out-and-out disloyalists, over sixty such cases being investi- 
gated. 

NEW HAMPSHIRE 

The lack of any extended reports from this state would 
indicate an absence of many of the tortuous problems that 
assailed her larger New England neighbors. Manchester, 
N. H., reports that the local division cooperated with al- 
most every governmental activity in the State, including th^ 
Department of Justice, draft boards. Red Cross, Four Min- 
ute Men, and other branches too numerous to mention. "We 
may write almost identically the same comment for Maine 
and Vermont. 



CHAPTER II 

THE STORY OF THE NORTH 

Nature has not put upon the face of the globe any region 
more fit or more inviting for human occupancy than the 
temperate zone of North America. The soil is fertile, pro- 
ducing with fair tillage all the forms of food needful for 
the full development of the human species. The climate is 
precisely that which calls for sufficient human exertion in 
the unescapable battle of life, but not enough to debar men 
from a rich surplus of things beyond the mere living, which 
in the tropics is all a man asks, or in the Arctics is all a man 
may hope. Lastly, its natural transportation is easy and 
abundant. The rugged, virile, enterprising and successful 
population of that region is Nature's offering to the prob- 
lems of the world's future, and it is safe prophecy that in 
this region of America always will be produced many of the 
world's greatest thinkers and greatest doers; because here, 
surely, is a splendid human environment. 

But man, like other species, is a product of two forces, 
environment and heredity. What was the heredity of the 
temperate zone? Of the best, the strongest, the most enter- 
prising. The Colonies, New England and the upper South, 
sent their strongest sons west in the early days. Later, the 
restless populations of Europe, of Irish, Teutonic and 
Scandinavian stock, began to swarm into that favored region, 
a good part of which, then known as our West, lay unoccu- 
pied. The Civil War prevented what we might call the 
Americanization of the Northwest, which attracted heavy 
immigration of North-European stocks. But all the men 
moving out along the forty-second parallel as a meridian 
line of latitude were of strong, well selected human stock. 
That was the original ancestry of what we might call our 
"North." 

We rudely may group this region as that lying along the 
Mississippi, the Missouri and their upper tributaries. Here 

381 



382 « THE WEB 

lies one of the great future countries, one of the anchoring 
grounds of humanity. Beyond doubt it will eventually offer 
support to a vast population. The great population-centers, 
the great civilizations of the world, always have been along 
the great river valleys. 

In the North, then, we see a rich region, rich in soil, in 
forests, in minerals. Consider what ore Minnesota and 
Michigan, by means of natural transportation, have sent to 
Ohio and Pennsylvania for manufacturing ! Consider what 
millions of feet of rich pine Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota 
have given the world ! And consider, if you can, the wealth 
which has come out of the soil of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, 
Minnesota, the Dakotas and all the rest of what we call the 
North! The earth has known nothing like it. Here was 
won the great war of the world, in which Peace overthrew 
Militarism, let us hope, for all time. Here grew the sinew 
which America put into this war, and it is in great part 
because of her rich river valleys that America to-day is the 
hope of all the world in the day of peace. 

Naturally, if we should consider all these things, consider 
the persistence of racial types, consider the natural contest 
of all these strong men for the wealth of a rich new region, 
we could in advance predict that here in the North, there 
would be presented bitter phases of that combat which the 
enemy fought on this side of the Atlantic. 

OHIO ^ 

Typical among the thriving industrial cities of the Middle 
West is Akron, Ohio, a city of 150,000 inhabitants, well 
known for its prominence in the rubber industry and other 
lines of manufactory of great use to the Government. The 
A. P. L. division in such a city might naturally be expected 
to have something to do. The Akron division began in the 
brain of a somewhat solitary agent of the Department of 
Justice, W. A, Garrigan, who was sent to Akron to serve 
his country all alone, equipped with one perfectly good aegis 
of the law, but not much else. There were men all about 
who were more or less actively engaged in helping Ger- 
many — men who were spreading Socialistic propaganda 
hindering the draft; men failing to qualify, knocking the 



THE STORY OF THE NORTH 383 

Liberty Loan, and doing everything else they ought not to do 
and leaving undone the things they ought to do. Mr. Gar- 
rigan found that the Government had not appropriated 
money enough for his office rent, much less enough to em- 
ploy men to keep in touch with the Akron conditions. He 
needed men. Then overnight the Akron division of the A. 
P. L., beginning with two hundred men, sprang into existence, 
as it did so magically and mysteriously all over America. 
Mr. Elihu Harpham, manager of a local manufacturing con- 
cern, took the position of Chief. He had able assistants, 
and always these men worked in close touch with the De- 
partment of Justice, even in its most delicate and dangerous 
enterprises. 

Akron, according to all reports, had an exceptionally large 
number of draft slackers — men who had registered here 
and disappeared before the numbers were drawn. It was 
estimated at one time that 3,000 men had registered in Akron 
and never been heard of again. It was indeed a Port of 
Missing Men. Akron Division took this matter up, and in its 
first year's work rounded up 6,856 men. The word passed 
among all the employees of Akron's great factories that it 
was not a good thing for a man to be around without his 
draft card in his pocket. Many hundreds of men who were 
delinquent came in voluntarily to their draft boards. Per- 
haps the figures will tell the tale as well as words : 

Slackers 6,855 

Alleged false questionnaires 255 

Interned alien enemies 17 

Pro-Germanism 245 

Socialistic propaganda 98 

Sedition 124 

Food regulations 94 

Liberty Bonds and Stamps 86 

Soldiers absent without leave 51 

Alien enemy investigations 159 

Character investigations: • War Department, Red Cross, 

Y. M. C. A., etc 34 

Miscellaneous 4,847 

Total cases handled first year 11,866 

Delinquents and deserters sent to Camp Sherman, Chilli- 
cothe, Ohio, by this office 870 



384 THE WEB 

In the comprehensive report submitted by the Akron 
division, Chief Harpham says : 

We started out in a small way to assist the Akron office of 
the Bureau of Investigation, but expanded rapidly and soon 
had thoroughly equipped offices, complete card filing systems, 
and a sufficient force to keep our records and carry on our 
work in an efficient way. We now have a membership of 
two hundred and eighty-three, enrolled from the ranks of rep- 
resentative citizens who have given untiring efforts to the 
work. I know of no single case tliat has not been handled to 
the entire satisfaction of the Department of Justice, and with- 
out any display of officiousness. It is very gratifying to those 
who have performed service to receive these expressions of 
appreciation. I shall never be able to convey to our members 
the keen appreciation of their loyal support which has made 
our success possible. It has been a pleasure for me to serve 
as Chief and to know that we have been a part of the power- 
ful organization which has contributed so much toward the 
winning of the war. 



Of these men who did the work — and it is work to handle 
nearly 12,000 cases — all were unpaid volunteers. Other 
members of the business community contributed money, al- 
though classified as inactive members. Such laborers in the 
ranks must be content to go unsung and unhonored, although 
they truly helped to win the war. 

Columbus, Ohio, is another solid, steady-going town which 
may be depended upon to do the sensible thing and the loyal 
thing — albeit at times in rather violent fashion. A Luth- 
eran minister of Columbus was reported for pro-German 
talk and was found to be of German parentage, although 
himself American born. He acknowledged he had never 
allowed an American flag in his church, and had never 
uttered a prayer for this country or its army. An operative 
told him to be careful about his praying for ' ' our country, ' ' 
lest he should be understood as meaning Germany and not 
the United States. The community forced him to leave his 
charge — none too soon, for the sentiment toward him was 
rapidly becoming dangerous. 

A Columbus restaurant employed a German-looking cook 
who seemed to have considerable money, and who acted 



THE STORY OF THE NORTH 385 

rather suspiciously. A. P. L. traced his history, covering 
two or three positions which he had held, and at length 
called him in to headquarters for a general going over of 
the third-degree sort. He was found to have acted as cook 
in the army cantonments at Chillicothe, and was discovered 
to be a German alien without permit or any papers allowing 
him in this country. Among his papers there was found a 
photograph of himself in the uniform of a lieutenant in the 
German army, also his order for mobilization in the German 
army in 1913. He is now interned. 

That the Columbus division of A. P. L. was at all times 
busily engaged in winning the war on this side is amply 
proved by its report : 

Slackers 135 

Delinquents and deserters 366 

Alleged false questionnaires 83 

Bootlegging , 107 

Pro-German 375 

Socialistic propaganda 83 

Vice complaints 235 

Soldiers absent without leave 8 

Alien enemies 48 

Character investigations 192 

Toledo, Ohio, had 162 cases of disloyalty and sedition to 
investigate, and 600 eases of word-of-mouth propaganda. 
Many of the reports turned in by zealous operatives are 
worth reprinting. 

A slacker was brought into Toledo headquarters minus 
his card, but he protested that he had registered. He de- 
clared himself to be drunk, said that the registrar was drunk, 
that it was funny they couldn't find his card, but if they 
would go to Detroit and find his friend Heine So-and-so — 
street address unknown — Heine would tell them he had 
registered. Not considered conclusive. 

Another operative in Toledo fancied himself very much 
in the role of Sherlock Holmes. In one case assigned him, 
he was trailing a subject who turned and started toward 
the operative. The latter stated in his report: '' When I 
noticed the subject coming toward me, I immediately jumped 
over a hedge and hid behind some bushes. ' ' 



386 THE WEB 

Toledo did some business in the slacker raids, having 
examined some 2,000 men in one drive. 

Youngstown, Ohio, reflects a very sensitive social condi- 
tion which existed during the war in every community which 
owned a considerable foreign born population. The Chief- 
comments on this quite frankly : 

A feature of our work was tlie demand, made by people 
in all stations, that the Federal Government, of which we 
were supposed to be a direct agency, should look after the 
enforcement of laws concerning health, morals and even family 
relations. A remarkable fact in connection with these inves- , 
tigations was the utter inability of a certain class of German 
origin to forget their German ties and to live up to their 
oath of allegiance to America, which they took, many of them, 
fifteen or twenty years ago. In one case it was frankly ad- 
mitted by the subject that he had never thought about Ger- 
many going into a war with America when he applied for 
naturalization papers. We have developed the fact that many 
households in America have been, are and always will be 
nothing but a part of Germany in our midst. 

Youngstown turns in 157 cases of alien enemy activities, 
and 459 of disloyalty and sedition. There were 213 cases of 
anti-military activity and 674 cases of propaganda, not men- 
tioning 183 cases of I. W, W. and other radicalism. In the 
report of this division, the Department of Justice work quite 
overshadows the War Department activities, because there 
are only 213 investigations under the Selective Service Act 
and 67 for character and loyalty, although there were 141 
investigations of desertions and absences without leave. 

There was a certain man in the vicinity of Napoleon, 
Ohio, who put up a really stubborn fight against American- 
ism, The Chief of the division says : 

I got a telephone message that one hundred Germans, armed 
with guns, were gathered in an alien enemy's house and 
wanted to fight. As county president of the League of Ameri- 
can Patriots, I called out five hundred members, and with 
fifteen A. P. L. members, we started for the place after night- 
fall. We traveled the eighteen miles in cars, but as we were 
approaching, the Germans saw our headlights and dispersed, 
except for a few who didn't get away. We got three men, 
and found some ammunition and one gun in a wheat field. 
We were shot at, but none of us were hurt, although the report 



THE STORY OF THE NORTH 387 

got noised about that we had fifteen killed. A carnival was 
being held in a little town nearby, and when we got back at 
2:00 A. M., the ladies were waiting with hot coffee and sand- 
wiches for us, so we didn't call it a bad night's work. We 
nailed an American flag to the house of that enemy alien, and 
~ it is still waving there. The next day the Department of 
Justice was on hand. We traveled into three counties to get 
a man who said that some Germans had guns and would use 
them. It was said that these guns were to aid Germany in 
case she could effect a landing in this country! 

About seventy per cent of the inhabitants of Henry County 
are of German descent, and many remained in sympathy with 
Germany even after we went into the war. We could do little 
with them. Our League of Patriots tried nineteen cases in 
Henry County, relieved a bank cashier of his position, got a 
State road superintendent dismissed and brought a good many 
other pro-Germans out into the open. The A. P. L. assisted 
in getting much of the evidence against the road superin- 
tendent, who was heard to say: "If this country goes into 
the war with Germany, one million Germans will rebel, and 
I will be one of them." Thus far, the million Germans seem 
less disposed to rebel since the eleventh of last November. 

Yellow Springs, Ohio, is another instance of simple, hon- 
est, heel and toe hard work. The division assisted in all 
the war activties, and helped out the Department of Justice 
in divers instances in collecting testimony. 

Wooster, Ohio, says : ' ' Our principal activities had to do 
with conscientious objectors. We tried to deal with these 
people in accordance with the law, and also in accordance 
with the regulations promulgated by the President. "We had 
some amusing cases with members of the Ammish church, 
including their Bishop, who was accused of advising men 
not to comply with the draft order. This man caused the 
county boards a great deal of trouble. He would not come 
in and talk with the military authorities, but the A. P. L. 
brought him in. You have to know these people to appreci- 
ate the obstructions they will put around all draft matters. ' ' 

Coshocton, Ohio, had fifteen citizens who were suspected 
of being disloyal, and thirty who talked too much. Mem- 
bers worked when the thermometer was twenty below zero, 
trying to catch parties who were tearing down and mutilat- 
ing Liberty Loan posters. 



388 THE WEB 

A quite usual form of report comes from Washington 
Courthouse, Ohio — and it is one of the best sorts of reports : 
" Assisted in the sale of Liberty Bonds and Stamps to the 
amount of $150,000; rounded up slackers, and did investiga- 
tion work for the Red Cross. We had much automobile 
travel. In the eight hundred cases that we investigated, 
our men traveled more than twenty-five thousand miles by 
auto, half of this mileage being covered by one man. ' ' 



INDIANA 

Indianapolis, Indiana, attributes much of its success to the 
care with which its membership was selected. All new mem- 
bers were brought in by other members who were acquainted 
with them, and were in a position to know of their loyalty. 
The Chief says : ' ' Our men conducted themselves with dig- 
nity, tact and discretion, bearing in mind at all times that 
they were representing the Government and the League. We 
believe that much of our success in keeping down propa- 
ganda, sabotage and other Hun depredations was due to the 
secrecy which guarded the identity of our officers. Indian- 
apolis had a total of 209 cases of disloyalty and sedition. ' ' 

Indianapolis caught one deserter 1,200 miles from home. 
He deserted from the Rainbow Division at the port of em- 
barkation and headed west. He was found, working under 
an alias, in a camp forty miles from Casper, Wyoming. 
This case was started within fifty feet of the Indianapolis 
headquarters, through overhearing a chance conversation in 
which a woman said that a friend of hers was correspond- 
ing with a man she thought to be a deserter. The suspect at 
first denied he was the man wanted, but finally confessed, and 
was delivered to the proper authorities. The whole case was 
finished inside of two hours, the order for the man's arrest 
going by wire to Casper from the Department of Justice. 
Another man deserted from Camp Sherman, Ohio, and with- 
out coming back home to Indianapolis, went to Hastings, 
Michigan. Here, through a woman who passed as his wife, 
he had gotten a novelty concession at the County Fair. 
Indianapolis A. P. L. got in touch with M. I. D. of Wash- 
ington. Everything was waiting for the gentleman on his 



THE STORY OF THE NORTH 389 

arrival at Hastings. He is again in the Army — or was at 
the time of the Armistice. 

Though wireless scares are most frequent on the seaboard, 
almost every city can boast several of them. An Indian- 
apolis operative thought he had discovered certain wireless 
antennae on the property of a family with a German name. 
A pole was found fastened to the roof of a shed, wires being 
used to connect it with the attic of the house. It was noticed 
that the attic had close-drawn blinds, whence lights_ were 
occasionally seen. The whole thing simmered down to an 
outfit put up by some young men to practice telegraphy. 

Indianapolis also became interested in a man who claimed 
exemption on account of heart trouble. He weighed 225 
pounds, and stood six feet and one-half inch, though he was 
only twenty-five years old. It was arranged to have this 
man examined by an out-of-town physician. This resulted 
in his being brought before the medical board in Cleveland, 
where he was found fit for military service. There was no 
direct evidence that he had been taking any depressant for 
his heart, although the facts were thought to point that 
way. It was said that some doctors gave slackers medicine 
to give them temporary '* heart disease." 

Michigan City, Indiana, had a very busy A. P. L. division 
whose activities were sometimes curious. For instance, the 
town boasts a somewhat well advertised mayor, Fred C. 
Miller, who has made Michigan City famous as being the 
proud possessor of the only alien mayor in the United States. 
Miller openly violated the President's proclamation barring 
alien enemies from Washington, D. C. He was held until a 
thorough investigation could be completed, and during this 
investigation A. P. L. furnished D. J. with a report showing 
that twenty-one of the city officials and employees of Mich- 
igan City also were alien enemies! It would seem that 
America has not yet been discovered at the foot of Lake 
Michigan. The loyal minority of the population, during the 
mayoralty campaign, turned over information to A. P. L. to 
the effect that one hundred and forty-four alien enemies 
had failed to comply with the President's proclamation 
obliging them to register. A number of these were placed 
under bonds. Indeed, with the assistance of the League, 
the U. S. Marshal's office registered a total of 2,200 male 



390 THE WEB 

and female alien enemies. A. P. L. developed the evidence on 
•which one Herman Kauffman was interned at Fort Ogle- 
thorpe. This division also caused something over one hun- 
dred and fifty draft evaders to be taken before the local 
board as the result of a three months' drive under cover, 
which combed all the factories and railroad yards. 

At Peru, Indiana, A. P. L. worked in combination with 
the "Loyal Citizens' Vigilance Committee of Miami County," 
an earlier organization of loyalty lovers which embraced 
about three thousand members of the hundred percent-loyal 
class. Mr. F. D. Butler was chief, and Mr. W. F. Schrader, 
head of the Vigilance Committee, assistant chief of A. P. L. 
The two organizations appear to have had amiable and 
efficient relations. There is something in the character of 
the Peru Vigilance Committee which seems to be reminiscent 
of the old " Know Nothing " party which had existence 
before the Civil War, and whose general platform was that 
of America for Americans. Does this Indiana Vigilance 
Committee, indeed, foreshadow a revival of some such polit- 
ical movement at a later date? It seems to have retained 
some of the tenets of the old Know Nothing party, which 
also worked in absolute secrecy, and had its grips, pass words 
and countersigns. 

One may recall that it was an Indiana poet who wrote the 
line, " The Booger man will get you if you don't watch 
out. ' ' At least, between A. P. L. and the Vigilantes, a good 
and sufficient scare seems to have been thrown into the dis- 
loyal element around Peru. 

There is grit, shrewdness and loyalty all combined in the 
report of the Chief of Rensselaer, Indiana, divisio-n. It is 
too good to change and the cases cited are given in the Chief's 
own words : 

I am also sending you a few sketches of our work; if j'ou 
can use them in the history of the League it will be appre- 
ciated. I am very much interested in the history. 

First Case: There were numerous complaints and rumors 
of pro-Germanism and disloyalty in Northern Jasper County. 
Our operatives got a great many affidavits against a certain 

Lutheran minister, and an enemy alien named Herman S , 

who had been bragging that no one could make him register. 
Accompanied by an operative, I took my car one Sunday and 



THE STORY OF THE NORTH 391 

we went out to S 's house and the following conversa- 
tion took place: 

Q. Herman, why haven't you registered as the law requires 
you to? 

A. Well, I supposed that my father had taken out his papers 
and I did not need to register. 

Q. Well, how did it come that your brother Paul registered; 
he must have understood the law? 

A. S flushed up, but did not answer. 

Q. Well, Herman, you had better come in to-morrow and 
register. 

A. But I have some oats that have to be harrowed, and I 
can't come in. 

Q. Well, all right, if you would rather harrow your oats 
and not register and spend the remainder of the time of the 
war in a Federal prison, you harrow the oats. 

He registered Monday. 

On this same expedition we stopped to see the Lutheran 
minister as private citizens, and told him that the people of 
Jasper County wanted no more German preaching and no more 
German teaching in the schools; also they would like to see 
Old Glory floating from the mast-head. We told him also that 
this was the last time that he would be notified. In about 
three hours we returned that way and stopped again. Old 
Glory was floating at the mast-head; the German school books 
had disappeared, and there has been no more German teaching 
nor preaching. 

Second Case: The Local Board gave the name of Harrison 
L , who had registered in Carrolton, Green County, Illi- 
nois, but had not reported for physical examination at Rens- 
selaer. He was living with his parents nine miles south of 
this city, and he should have reported to the Local Board of 
Rensselaer for physical examination. I went out as a deputy 
sheriff to find out the reason why. I first called at the post 
office at McCoysburt, where they got their mail, and found that 
he had received his card calling him for examination. I then 
drove out to the farm and found the young man, and he 
claimed that he had not received the card. I finally told him 
that he would have to go with me. He replied that he would 
have to see his father. We went out into the cornfield where 
Mr. L was picking corn, and when I told him my busi- 
ness, he exploded. He called Mr. Wilson a Czar, and the 
United States Government almost everything he could lay his 

tongue to, and then I asked: "Mr. L , what are you, a 

German? About five more words of your talk and I will take 



392 THE WEB 

you along, too." He had no more to say of a violent nature, 
but evidently felt very hostile. 

I brought the boy in. He passed the physical examination 
and was placed in Class I. I told him that probably he would 
be called to entrain in June. I tried to get him to tell me 
whether or not he would be here to entrain, and he said: 
"Yes, sure, I have learned my lesson and v/ill be in." 

In the meantime, Mr. L , Sr., had been talking wildly 

and saying that he would rather see his son dead than in the 
Army of the United States. He also said that if anybody came 
out to get his son and make him go over there and fight the 
rich man's battles, they would have to take him over his 
dead body. 

I finally got in touch with Mr. P , whose son married 

L 's daughter. He went over to see L — ■ and told 

him that if the boy was not in by nine o'clock on the day of 
entrainment, the officers would have to come after him. 

L replied that if they did come out there, he had a 

double-barreled shot-gun loaded with buck-shot and would let 
the first man that stepped on the place have it. 

Nine o'clock the next morning I took one of my operatives 
and a good 30-30 rifle and went out there; drove in the gate 
as fast as I could make it, and caught the old gentleman in 
the barn. 

L had mislaid his shot-gun, but his wife found it, 

and was approaching him with it. After quite a tussle, we 

convinced Mrs. L that she had no use for a gun, and I 

took it away from her. 

In the meantime their loyal, patriotic son had started for 
Monon, about six miles from the farm, to get some mower 
repairs. I left my operative on the premises, and started after 

young L in the car. I found him about three miles 

from the farm, jogging along with his thoughts dwelling on 
the hardships of war. I stopped him and told him he would 
have to go with me, and he said: "Well, what will I do with 
the horse and buggy." I replied that that was not worrying 
me, that I wanted him. He tied the horse to the fence, and 
I took him in the car and went back to the farm. I told him 
that if he would go like a man, I would give him five minutes 
to change his clothes and get in the car and go with me 
to entrain. 

He was ready in three minutes and thirty-five seconds. I 
took him to Fort Benjamin Harrison and turned him over to 
the Provost Marshal. This man was inducted into the Army^ 
and has been in France shooting Huns. 



THE STORY OF THE NORTH 393 

These cases do not exhaust the files of Eensselaer. There 
are more of the same sort, but these give a good idea of the 
sort of problems which tested the courage, ability and re- 
sourcefulness of A. P. L. operatives and chiefs throughout 
the war. 

Elkhart, Indiana, is present or accounted for in almost 
every branch of the service. The Chief says: " We found 
most of our cases pro-German, with some spite work. Elk- 
hart Division handled a total of 600 cases of all sorts, of 
which 117 were concerned with alien enemy activities. A 
number of reports were investigated which charged certain 
German sympathizers with offering up prayers in church for 
the Kaiser and the success of the German arms. There 
would seem to be no use in praying for the Kaiser now." 

One of the most American parts of Indiana is good old 
Brown County, long famous because there is no railroad 
within its confines. The Chief reports : ' ' This has been 
a quiet sector. Our people are native stock, absolutely loyal 
and patriotic. A few late-comers of German origin began 
to talk too much, but when they found they were being- 
watched, they stopped. It is good to live in an old-fash- 
ioned American community such as we usually read about 
in books. ' ' 

MICHIGAN 

Perhaps not many people in the United States have heard 
of Midland, Michigan — it is one of the many new names 
on the war map. But the Midland report — in many ways 
the best report turned in by any A. P. L. chief in the entire 
country — bulked large and was very thorough indeed ; in 
short, it was a day-by-day record and report of activities in 
a town engaged in making deadly gases and other chemicals 
for use in the war. Midland is the site of the Dow Chemical 
Company's chief plant, a concern which manufactured ace- 
tone for airplane dope, mustard gas, T. N. T. and a number 
of other special products for the Government. As a conse- 
quence it seems to have been a magnet for alien enemy work- 
men and American laborers with pro-German sympathies. 
Something broke loose almost every day ; on some days, two, 
three or even four cases came up. Altogether the Midland 
report is an extraordinary document — indeed the most ver- 



394 THE WEB 

itable and illuminating day-to-day record of all which the 
League has produced. This blotter form of report supplies 
a remarkable narrative of the chances and near-casualties 
which the presence of a munitions plant brought to a normal 
American community. It is too bad such a report cannot 
be given in full, but it runs to 12,000 words, spans ten months 
of time and covers one hundred and fifty-seven cases of 
investigation. This splendid report came out of a wholly 
unexpected quarter. We hear much of the romance of big 
business. Perhaps when the reader shall have discovered 
how many men were waiting day-by-day to wreck and ruin 
one big business, it will not always seem to have been so 
romantic after all. We may make at least a brief resume 
of things which happened in and around Midland. Names 
cannot be given, but it may be stated in advance that practi- 
cally every case investigated was that of a man who had a 
German, Russian or European name. 

Carl L was a German Lutheran minister at Mid- 
land, and seems to have been much like his brethren of the 
cloth in that denomination. He remarked to a friend, 
" Why, you do not seem to realize that Germany will soon 
control the world. ' ' When the Lusitania was sunk, he said, 
" The people who went on that ship should have been blown 
sky-high." Preacher L is still preaching at Midland. 

Alex B is a retired citizen of Midland. He was 

born in Germany, came to this country penniless, yet acquired 
suflScient wealth upon which to retire. This country is full 
of Germans of similar description, who have remained just 
as German as they ever were. This was the case of Mr. 

B , In discussing the war, he said, " You can't get 

your troops over there because our submarines wiU sink 
them." By "your " he meant American troops, and by 
" our " he meant German submarines. He was of the 
belief that the German was a far superior race to ours. 
Natiirlich ! Gewiss ! Das versteht sich ! 

S. F. S , another employe, was found taking pic- 
tures of one of the buildings devoted to the making of sul- 
phuric acid, including the railroad approaches. United 
States asked him please not to take any more such pictures. 

A can containing a pint of giant powder was found in a 
car of coal which was being hoisted into the boilers at the 



THE STORY OF THE NORTH 395 

power house of the Dow Chemical Company. Two Germans,^ 

j^ O. M ■ and Carl S ; were heard talking of 

prospective trouble at the Dow Company. The former said, 
'' I have a bottle planted near the gate that they will hear 
from." Both men were watched, and their plot seems to 
have been aborted. 

John S once claimed he was German, then claimed 

he was Russian. He could not speak nor write Russian, 
but was familiar with the German language and associated 
only with Germans of the hostile type. He attended the 
German-Lutheran church and was very insolent toward 
Americans. Whether German or Russian, he was discharged 
by the Dow Chemical Company. He found his solace in 
conversation at the German store, run by two Germans, all 
enjoying themselves very much, conversing and settling the 
war. 

Ernest W , reported as an alien enemy in the pay of 

the German Government, a sailor on the Great Lakes in the 
summer time. Reported to the steamship company of Cleve- 
land which used to employ him. 

C. B works for the Dow Chemical Company. Oper- 
ative reports he said United States was to blame for the 
war and that Germany had told the people of the United 
States not to board English ships. All of which sounds 
familiar^ — if not convincing — to an American. Ja wohl! 

John W , reported pro-German, had expressed him- 
self as opposed to the United States in the war. Since we 
declared war, has been more discreet. A common case. 

H. S , in the army cantonment, but reported to have 

stated he would desert as quickly as he got to France. His 
oiBcers duly notified. 

E. L. K , a foreman in the wood shop of the Dow 

Chemical Company, reported to be willing to bet $100 that 
the United States would never whip Germany. Too bad 
someone did not take him up several times ! Ach ! das thut 
uns leid ! 

A. B. B , reported by some patent attorneys to have 

appeared at their office desiring the Russian patent for a 
dinner pail which would be capable of containing several 
sticks of dynamite hidden in coils, A compartment for a 
clock was also called for. This would be a fine thing for a 



396 THE WEB 

■workman to take into a building such as this Government 
enterprise. The attorneys did not care for confidential rela- 
tions with such a client. Close watch was kept for three 
weeks, but the client did not come back. 

John G said when the Lusitania was sunk, " What 

in hell were the on that boat for, anyway — 

were they not warned to keep off? " "Which again sounds 
familiar. Indeed, that was the attitude of practically every 
German or pro-German in America, no matter whether nat- 
uralized or not. 

Alma, Michigan, is a pleasant and quiet city, but you can 't 
tell where a big story will break. Drama is no respecter of 
geography. Which is by way of saying that one Herman 

R is reported by Gratiot County Division to have been 

raised on a farm in this locality. During the war he went 
to Spokane, Washington, and joined the I. W. W. He was 
indicted among others in the Haywood trial and disappeared 
while waiting for trial. Gratiot County Division was 
directed to look him up. 

A visit was made to the sister of R , who herself 

appeared as much an I. W. W. as need be. Through per- 
sistence, however, they learned where Herman was approx- 
imately. It was concluded that the brother and sister might 
correspond, so the mails were watched. Sure enough, on 
the third day there came a letter from Spokane addressed 
to another sister, and bearing the Spokane postmark. Then 
a brother of Herman was visited, and from him and from his 
unmarrried sister a snapshot was obtained of Herman and 
his pal, each holding an I. W. W. paper facing toward the 
camera, which sufficiently well identified them and their 
tendencies. 

Later on both Herman and his pal were located, appre- 
hended, tried, convicted, and sentenced in the Chicago trial. 

Ottawa County, Michigan, has in its population a large 
percentage of people of Dutch descent. There are also many 
immigrants from Holland, some naturalized, others not. 
Most of these people have an inborn hatred for England, 
which was mistakenly called pro-Germanism. A correct under- 
standing of the psychology of these people was no easy mat- 
ter to arrive at, but the A. P. L. handled most of them in 
such a way as to convert them into patriots rather than 



THE STORY OF THE NORTH 397 

malcontents. The Chief adds, however: " It should not be 
gathered from this that our population as a whole was not 
heart and soul for America. We rarely met anything vicious 
in the way of disloyalty. Hollanders are ultra- Calvinistic, 
unemotional and not easily stirred to enthusiasm, and it was 
sometimes difficult to reach their hearts with feelings of 
patriotism and love for the land of their adoption. ' ' 

Washtenaw County, Michigan, had the reputation of being 
the worst pro-German community in the Eastern Division of 
Michigan. Fully four percent of the people were pro-Ger- 
man. Large districts are nothing but old German settle- 
ments, ' ' infested with that worst brand of citizen — the sec- 
ond or third generation German." The Chief instituted a 
series of Star Chamber courts which put a wet blanket on 
this gentry and changed Washtenaw County into one of the 
quietest communities in the State. The A. P. L. men were 
not known to one another, but they were in all strata of 
society. They uncovered several rampant cases of Bolshe- 
vism and conducted a good many character and loyalty inves- 
tigations. They investigated also 144 alien enemies who 
applied for naturalization. The total number of alien 
enemies investigated ran above 700, so it may be seen that 
this organization was kept pretty busy. 

Ludington, Michigan, looked into fifty eases of disloyalty 
and sedition, and investigated six hundred cases of oral 
propaganda. The Chief says : "We investigated about two 
thousand cases ; delivered upwards of two hundred speeches 
for the Red Cross ; nullified three strikes of workmen — one 
on the railroad, and the other two in plants doing govern- 
ment work. Over seven hundred men were involved. ' ' Lud- 
ington also reports the case of a German reservist who was 
traced from this point to France, from there to Winnipeg, 
thence to Seattle, thence to Chicago. The suspect was finally 
apprehended in Chicago and interned. Real sleuthing! 

Benton Harbor, Michigan, is adjacent to strongly German 
neighborhoods. There were 1,000 men who signed up for 
League work, each man contributing one dollar to the com- 
mon fund. The county was split up into five districts, each 
manned by a lieutenant and several operatives under him. 
A general secrecy obtained as to the membership, and the 
division was very active and efficient. 



398 THE WEB 

Grand Eapids, Michigan, was a busy center of activity, 
and one of the best-handled divisions in the United States, 
3,907 cases being investigated, exclusive of about 500 minor 
cases in regard to German language. Liberty Loan, War 
Savings Stamps and other miscellaneous cases. Of the grand 
total, 2,357 cases were investigated under the "work or 
fight ' ' order. A. P. L. at Grand Rapids had a busy season, 
and did its work well. It deserves as many pages as.it is 
given lines. 

Iron Eiver, Michigan, had the usual rooitine. One case, 

slightly unusual, had to do with one Victor P , a 

Swede fifty-eight years old, naturalized in America, He re- 
luctantly admitted a pro-German tendency, but as he had 
a large family, the local chief was disposed to leniency. 
The Chief says : "I had previously learned that this man, 
with his family, was worth about $8,000. I had him agree 
to purchase $2,000 worth of Liberty Bonds at once and 
to leave them in the custody of the local bank until the end 
of the war. He also contributed $300 to the local war 
chest, and agreed to aid soliciting committees among his 
neighbors. He has kept his promise in these respects, and has 
kept silent about the war. ' ' 

Manistee, Michigan, is in one of the most pro-German 
counties of the State. A number of German agents had a 
sort of representative at Manistee. There were seventy-eight 
residents who swore fealty to Germany, although only 
twenty-one of these remained loyal during the closing days 
of the war. Not infrequently times became a trifle heated 
at Manistee. German sympathizers once shot at the Chief 
of the A. P. L., who had just apprehended several German 
suspects who were accused of making blue-prints of pumps 
going into United States battleships. The organization was 
active throughout the war, and was on its toes at all times. 

Mount Clemens, Michigan, is in Macomb County, a large 
proportion of whose inhabitants are of German origin. A 
flying field is located near Mount Clemens. Hence a special 
officer of the Department of Justice was in charge. Most of 
the work had to do with pro-Germanism, ninety -seven of such 
cases being investigated. There were seven cases of alien 
enemy activities, two of sabotage, fifty-six connected with 
selective service matters, thirty of character and loyalty. 



THE STORY OF THE NORTH 399 

and seven of food-hoarding. No grass grew under the feet 
of this division. 

ILLINOIS ! 

There ought to be at least one good stiff report from some 
town located near a big Army cantonment. Rockford, Illi- 
nois, entry point for Camp Grant, has submitted a report 
which meets every specification. It must be understood that 
from 30,000 to 75,000 troops came under the jurisdiction of 
Rockford Division each couple of months or so throughout 
the war. Rockford is a great manufacturing point and 
for some ti,me has been a center of I. W. W. activities, a 
considerable number of I. W. W. clan being found among 
the laboring classes there. The League watched these people 
very closely, secured stenographic reports of their club 
speeches, etc., and thus got some strong Government evidence. 

After war was declared, these agitators became very vio- 
lent, and carried on an active compaign against the Selective 
Service Act. On one occasion they conducted an all-day 
meeting and picnic at Black Hawk Park, which was nothing 
but an organization meeting so timed as to interfere with 
the draft registration. We locked up three men, at which 
the other members of the two local unions thronged the 
streets to the jail and demanded the release of the men. We 
put an additional one hundred and thirty-five members of the 
I. W. W. in jail, and standing room only was available. 
Special interurban cars were chartered, eighty persons being 
removed to adjacent counties. The jail was pretty badly 
wrecked. The leader of these men got two years imprison- 
ment, it being proved also that he was an alien and subject 
to deportation. The Immigration Bureau has secured a war- 
rant for his deportation, and he will go abroad permanently 
at the expiration of his sentence. Federal Judge Landis 
sentenced one hundred and eleven of these men to one year 
in the Bridewell at Chicago. This case has been referred 
to in the report of Mr. Colby, D. J. agent at Chicago, as one 
of the most important in the Western country. A special 
agent was sent out by the Department of Justice to Rock- 
ford, with the result that an office was established there to 
carry on the joint work more efficiently. 



400 " THE WEB 

After Camp Grant was located at Rockford, the A. P. L. 
had much more work to do. While the buildings were going 
up, about 50,000 men passed through the employment bureau, 
from 7,000 to 10,000 being employed in the work. All classes 
of men were attracted to Rockford, and the local division 
was busy in keeping watch over them. Thirty-five I. W. W. 
members were taken from the camp laborers and handled in 
different ways — always with encouragement to go away 
and stay away. Two alien enemies were found among the 
laboring men at Rockford. They had come to America sur- 
reptitiously after the war began in Europe and had worked 
at various cantonments. They finally admitted they were 
German subjects, and were interned for the war. After the 
cantonment was completed and the troops began to arrive, 
the divisional activities of the A. P. L. centered largely in 
the detection of violations having to do with the morale of 
the troops. Five operatives were put to work on liquor 
cases, all working together under cover. Twenty-six men 
were sentenced for supplying soldiers with liquor, getting an 
average of ten months' imprisonment each. 

The most notable case handled in Camp Grant, or in any 
other camp, was that which resulted in the court-martial of 

twenty-one negro soldiers. Louise S , a white woman 

visiting a white soldier at Camp Grant, was set upon and 
assaulted by fifteen to twenty-one negro soldiers on the night 
of May 19, the crime being committed on the reservation at 
Camp Grant. At nine o'clock that evening Major General 
Charles H. Martin, in command at Camp Grant, telephoned 
to the local chief to meet him in town. He said his officers 
had been unable to make any headway on the case, and asked 
that it be taken up by the Department of Justice. The 
League put men on the case, and in three days had twenty 
of the culprits in custody, ultimately securing confessions im- 
plicating all the others who were held. All of these men 
were tried by court-martial ; fifteen were convicted and dealt 
with, five were let go, and one was declared insane. The 
assistance of the civilian authorities and auxiliaries to the 
military arm was so distinct in this case that General Martin 
wrote a frank letter of thanks, in which he said: " I am 
free to confess that until your entrance into the game, we 
had not progressed very far, and I wish to make it of record 



THE STORY OF THE NORTH 401 

that it was principally due to your able and efficient service 
that we finally succeeded." 

The nature and extent of the activities of the Rockford 
division may be seen from the following summary: alien 
enemy activities, 95; citizens' disloyalty and sedition, 50; 
sabotage, 5; anti-military activities, 13; propaganda, 13; 
miscellaneous cases, 211. The Navy Department asked as- 
sistance in 55 cases. Investigations made by the War De- 
partment covered 21 for Military Intelligence; 242 under 
the selective service regulations ; 164 slackers ; 45 character 
and loyalty applications; 90 liquor cases; 44 cases of vice 
and prostitution; 25 cases of desertions, and the collection 
of over 200 maps and photographs for M. I. D. The 
Department of State also reaches out as far as Rockford, 
and the quietly efficient League handled forty-six passport 
eases alone. The Treasury Department had ten eases under 
War Risk, and the United States Shipping Board asked for 
two investigations on character and loyalty. 

In the nature of things, the activities of A. P. L. being 
so wide, so impartial, and at times so energetic and aggres- 
sive, friction of social or business sort was sure now and 
then to arise. The only wonder is that there, was not a great 
deal more of it. Sometimes this grew out of spite work and 
personal jealousy, and again resulted in clashes of a wider 
and more distinct sort, resulting in something like community 
cliques. 

Mattoon, Illinois, had this sort of a tempest in a teapot 
from some such causes. That town has a Merchants' Asso- 
ciation, and this association, for reasons into which it is not 
necessary to go here, but which perhaps had a personal basis 
in some measure, saw fit to fine certain members of its body 
who had contributed money for the organization of A. P. L. 
This caused considerable hard feeling. The Chief, P. A. 
Erlach, asked permission to explain the purposes of the 
League to the Merchants' Association. This permission was 
not granted. The Chief held a conference with Judge Mac- 
Intyre, who suggested that the members who had been fined 
by the Merchants' Association might be subpoenaed and 
brought to the court room, not for trial, but for the purpose 
of clearing the situation, which did not seem to be good for 
the community or the government. The Merchants' Assoeia- 



402 THE WEB 

tion hired a lawyer to represent them, and a very warm. 
session was held, out of which, of course, nothing was deriv- 
able except hard feeling. In the mutual recriminations, one 
member of the Merchants' Association was alleged to have 
remarked at a certain time: " After this war is over, the 
Germans will be the aristocrats of the world ' ' — a belief 
which seems to have lacked confirmation. All these mat- 
ters, however, did not succeed in destroying the usefulness 
of the A. P. L. in Mattoon, where it did a great deal of 
hard and conscientious work. 

Probably the most interesting Mattoon investigation is 

that of one 'H , son of a wealthy farmer, who claimed 

exemption on account of agricultural occupation. He was 
alleged to be living in town and engaged in keeping books. 
The League went into the history of the family and pro- 
duced proof that certain other paternal ancestors of 

O'H had been engaged in the so-called Charleston 

Riots during the civil war, when a band of men known as 
** Copperheads," among whom was an ancestor of 

O'H , had fired upon several Union soldiers with fatal 

results in several instances. The Mattoon Chief of A. P. L. 
submitted to the Adjutant General at Springfield, Illinois, 
a full brief of the investigation of the case of young 
O'H , also transcripts from Government records cov- 
ering the Charleston riots. Young O'H was sent to 

Camp Zachariah for training. 

Pastor Russell had certain followers in Mattoon, religious 
fanatics of the sect known as Truth-Believers. They did not 
believe in anything but the Truth, certainly not in Liberty 
Loans, War Savings Stamps, or any war funds or activities. 
Two members of the sect were arraigned, but the Federal 
grand jury did not indict them because one was a woman 
and the other concluded to go into the employment of the 
Government at "Washington. 

Near Mattoon is a settlement of the peculiar sect known 
as Ammish, whose religion tells them not to bear arms. They 
opposed the selective draft, and although it was determined 
to exempt their young men from actual drill, the community 
preaching became so bad that a stiff investigation was made, 
after which there was no more trouble. 

The secret of the Mattoon fashion of investigation is not 



THE STORY OF THE NORTH 403 

told, but a nmnber of case-reports close with tlie words: 
" There has been no further complaint from the party." 
This covers the case of several citizens who did not buy as 
many Liberty Bonds as they might, or were too free in their 
talk about Germany as compared with this country. 

Joliet, Illinois, has certain mills which harbor a large for- 
eign element, Austrians and others. Several arrests and one 
internment put a quietus on German propaganda work among 
these people. " We worked through local foreign priests in 
whom they have confidence," says the local chief, and he 
adds: " We feel now that this hotbed of Austrianism is 
a fertile field for the so-called Bolshevist movement, as the 
sort of people most frequently dealt with are very susceptible 
to this propaganda. They feel that they can express them- 
selves freely, now that the war is over, and they are pleased 
at this opportunity. We believe that there is still much 
work ahead before the Bolshevist movement ceases to be a 
menace in these parts. ' ' 

Bloomington, Illinois, cites as its stand-out case the cap- 
ture of a German sailor, who was interned with the Princess 
Irene, the German boat at Hoboken, and had broken parole. 
The Chief says : ' ' We had considerable other work to do in 
conducting investigations and in stopping the propaganda 
of loud-mouthed Germans. ' ' 

Rock Island, Illinois, is one of the most famous arsenal 
towns in the country, the Ordnance Department having 
erected large works there many years ago. All such posts 
/were danger foci during the war, Eock Island Division in- 
vestigated 382 disloyalty and sedition cases, and 138 cases 
of propaganda. The selective service regulations required 
548 investigations. There were also the usual number of 
cases taken on for the Housing Committee (it was a big 
problem to house Rock Island's war population), the Red 
Cross, the U. S. Commissioner, the U. S. Marshal, the County 
Sheriff, the Liberty Loan committees and war charities. Cer- 
tainly a very satisfactory record for a place where some- 
thing might have blown loose had enemy wishes come true ! 

Epworth, Illinois, worked in close touch with the State 
Council of Defense. The Chief reports : ' ' Our community 
was loyal during the Civil War, and when this work came 
on, we gladly put our shoulder to the wheel again. A few 



404 THE WEB 

said things quite out of place, but you can believe we were 
never Germanized here. Our worst enemies were those who 
would rather part with their sons than with their coin — 
though they did neither willingly. We examined some appli- 
cants for overseas service. ' ' 

Alton, Illinois, just across the river from St. Louis, had 
some investigations for Military Intelligence, and some over- 
seas investigations. The division had occasion to assist the 
Special Agent of the Department of Justice in St. Louis a 
number of times when quick action was needed. 

WISCONSIN 

Justly or not, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, had the reputation 
of being about the most German community in the most 
nearly German state of the Union. No sweeping conclusions 
need be advanced as to either side of this proposition herein, 
for evidently, all said and done, Milwaukee is Milwaukee, 
and is well known throughout the country. There was a 
time, even previous to our entering the war against Ger- 
many, when salesmen traveling out of Milwaukee were un- 
able to sell their goods to the retail trade throughout the 
Middle West. They were obliged to go back to their houses 
and to say that the city which they represented was in bad 
repute. Just or not, these were the facts, and in time the 
better-class business men of Milwaukee, most of whom have 
not lacked in loyalty, began to see that some remedy must 
be found for this prejudice existing against their city. 

During the Civil War the Germans of Wisconsin, de- 
scendents of the heavy German immigration of 1848 and 
the years immediately following, had a splendid representa- 
tion in the Northern army. The sons of these men are among 
the most prominent business men in Wisconsin and of Mil- 
waukee to-day, and it were worse than wrong loosely to accuse 
them all of disloyalty to this country. Upon the other hand, 
Milwaukee, being a heavy German settlement, did not lack 
in wrong-headed persons who retained their allegiance to a 
flag other than our own. These did the usual amount of 
talking — perhaps more than the usual amount. For them 
the Milwaukee Division of the American Protective League 
had the same remedy that has been found efficient in other 



THE STORY OF THE NORTH 405 

conununities comprising a large foreign element or an ele- 
ment with foreign sympathies. It went to work quietly and 
steadily, showing good judgment and good sense, as well as 
good patriotism. Mr. B. K. Miller was Chief of the Mil- 
waukee Diyision. The membership was made up of sub- 
stantial men of proven loyalty. The following table tells 
the story of their work : 

Alien enemy cases 10,000 

Sedition and disloyalty investigations, and violations of 

the Espionage Act 2,400 

Character and loyalty reports 700 

Liquor and vice cases 75 

Internments 40 

Selective Service cases 6,500 

War Risk Insurance cases 68 

Sparta, Wisconsin, from the spelling of the suspect names 
in the report, appears to be located in the heart of darkest 

Germany. One Mr. H of that vicinity declared that 

a letter written to his father in anything but the German 
language would be an insult. He was interviewed, and it 
is believed that he has changed his idea by this time. An- 
other local pro-German volubly declared that the Y. M. C. A. 
was a " damn fraud." He is also thinking it over. Gus 

L would not allow a card with the admonition, 

" Speak English," to be placed in his store. It may affect 

his application for his second papers. Carl B was 

called on for a subscription to the Red Cross, but turned 
down the callers flat. He said he had never sworn obedience 
to the United States and never would, adding : ' ' They can 
take me back to Germany or any place they like, and I don't 
care a damn how quick." Such a man, it would seem, 
ought to be obliged in the matter of such preferences. A 

preacher, Rev. E , seemed to talk German propaganda 

rather than the Holy Scriptures. He was indicted. August 
Y made seditious remarks in the open, and was re- 
ported to the Department of Justice. Henry B was 

reported for threats he made against his neighbor for tak- 
ing part in the War Work campaign. Several alien enemies 
who were applying for citizenship were held while their rec- 
ords were looked up. Joe M believed the Y. M. C. A. 

to be a "graft," and thought our boys were sent to France 



406 THE WEB 

to be butchered. Duly interviewed about it. 0. W. S , 

cashier of a bank, wrote a letter in which he stated his bank 
would not take any Government certificates. He gave as his 
reason that he was short of help, as one of his men was being 
held in the army against his will and ' ' against the wishes of 
the community. ' ' He was spoken to. 

Neillsville, Wisconsin, apparently, was up on its toes. It 
reports the investigation of an alien German Lutheran min- 
ister ; utterances against the President and the Government, 
and the discovery of socialistic campaign literature for evi- 
dence in the Socialist trial at Chicago. It searched the com- 
munity for the Socialist paper called " The Voice of the 
People "; investigated the Russellite sect and looked up 
the record of 118 petitioners for naturalization ; investigated 
juries in the trial of a murder case growing out of an attempt 
to evade the draft, in which several people were wounded 
and two killed, and investigated a Socialist candidate for 
sheriff who made contributions to a fund for printing radical 
literature. The foregoing civil activities were done in the 
interest of the Department of Justice. Neillsville, for the 
War Department, investigated a woman who was trying to 
get information about the Edgewood Arsenals; assisted the 
U. S. Marshals in arresting draft dodgers, and investigated 
civilian applicants for overseas service and applicants for 
commissions. The Chief apologizes for not having done 
more ! 

Oslikosh, Wisconsin, had one hundred and eleven men — 
lawyers, doctors, bankers, manufacturers and workmen — 
on her A. P. L. rolls. The investigations throughout the 
war period totalled 343. There was much outspoken Ger- 
manism in this district before the United States went into 
the war, but after that, it died down. One old German, 
when confronted by the operatives, said : ' ' Vel, I dell you 
vat I dink ; it is so ; I dink vat I dink. How can I helb id ? 
But I say not von dam vord — nef er ! " A safe rule. ' ' Since 
the war ended, ' ' says the Chief, ' ' known sympathizers with 
Germany have been as quiet as oysters here. When Germany 
has been a republic for twenty years or so, I hope some of 
these imported old bigots will soften." 

Eacine, Wisconsin, has a population of 50,000. In a 
slacker raid it gathered in 3,000, including a number of real 



THE STORY OF THE NORTH 407 

dodgers and deserters. Two companies of State guards and 
Spanish war veterans, organized into thirty-five squads, car- 
ried out the League's orders to perfection. 

Berlin, Wisconsin, reports : ' ' Berger carried this county 
for Congress. We had some German propagandists who said 
that America could not win the war. We quieted them. 
Most of our work had to do with Liberty Bond campaigns. 
Red Cross, exemption claims, and Food Administration mat- 
ters. ' ' 

Eau Claire, Wisconsin, makes a clean-cut report on the 
activities of that division, being in touch constantly with 
the Agents of the Department of Justice and ready to act 
at once at all times. D. J. complimented this division on 
its compilation of evidence. The Chief says : ' ' Among our 
cases are several which proved vexatious. We succeeded in 
silencing such disloyalists as we had. Notwithstanding the 
fact that the war is over, we know there yet lies ahead of 
all good citizens an enormous work of education in righting 
and keeping right the obligation of the individual to the 
Government. ' ' 

MINNESOTA 

The City of Duluth, at the head of the Great Lakes, lies 
close to the edge of the great Northern wilderness whose 
fastnesses might well beckon the evader as well as the 
explorer or the discoverer. Her geographical situation 
makes Duluth a sort of Mecca for dodgers, drifters and de- 
serters, and a good part of the A., P. L. work at that point — 
and hard work it often was — consisted in running down 
these unwilling patriots who preferred the seclusiveness of 
a logging camp, trapper's shack, or even a logging drive, to 
bearing arms under their country's flag. 

Olsen is a name somewhat indefinite in the upper Minne- 
sota country, but it was claimed by a deserter from Camp 
Dodge who originally registered from Ely, Minnesota. The 
entire Olsen genealogical tree was combed over, and many 
shacks housing Olsens here and there in the woods were 
examined, but the right Olsen was not found. At last an 
operative hit upon the expedient of spreading word that 
this particular Olsen was wanted to sign a receipt for some 



408 ' THE WEB 

property that had been left to him. The proper Olsen came 
into town, was arrested at once, and sent to Fort Snelling — 
the victim of several kinds of misplaced confidence. 

There came into Duluth a rather pitiful story of a young 
girl of East Texas engaged to a U. S. soldier who was taken 
prisoner and sent to the interior of Germany. The prisoner 
sent out a letter to his sweetheart which stated that he was 
well treated. He also said that he was sending her his 
watch as a souvenir, lest she might never see him again. 
The girl took the watch to a jeweler. Inside of the works 
there was a note which said that everything the prisoner 
had written in the letter was not true, that his nose and 
ears had been cut off by the Germans, so that he felt him- 
self unfit even to be seen by her again. The girl herself 
lived at Nacogdoches and had met her Northern sweetheart 
in a Southern camp. 

From Ashland, Wisconsin, there was reported to the 

Duluth office the name of one J , a deserter. He was 

traced out into the woods, found in the garret of a shack 
whose owner disclaimed all knowledge of him, hauled down 
and out and sent to Fort Snelling, all in jig time. 

From Erie, Pennsylvania, there came to Duluth warning 
that there probably would be on a steamer due to land at 
that point a deserter from the service. The boat was met, 
the deserter was found, and within thirty-six hours he was 
on his way to Fort Snelling to repent at his leisure. 

One O , an Austrian or Russian, a mill hand, was 

found in bed when an operative went after him as a draft 
evader. He was so indiscreet as to say, " To hell with 
America." At that time the operative landed on him with 

a stiff right, and went down for the count. The 

short and simple annals of Mr. O 's case read: " He 

was dragged to jail with his toes up, put in a cell with his 
toes still up, and left alone with his toes up. The next day 
he was sent to Fort Snelling as a deserter." 

All the way from Great Falls, Montana, came a deserter 
who thought he could hide himself in the North woods 
around Duluth. As a matter of fact, he succeeded in doing 
so for more than a month although he was traced here and 
there in the forest. He located on a river-drive where he 
worked for a time. This Mr. C always went armed 



THE STORY OF THE NORTH 409 

and was reported as dangerous, but this did not act as any 
deterrent for A. P. L. men. Tlie evader was classified as 
having strong I. W. W. affiliations. He was chased far in 
the woods, but will have to come out some time. When he 
does, he will find the Duluth A. P. L. ready to welcome him. 

The totals for Duluth might be expected to run high. 
Accordingly we need not be surprised to find that Duluth 
reports 1,293 investigations of disloyalty and sedition ; 3,287 
men taken in slacker raids; 41 investigations for propa- 
ganda, and 186 naturalization investigations. 

Freeborn County, Minnesota, submitted a very optimistic 
report: " The loyal folks were so plentiful that if any 
pessimist happened to say the wrong thing about the Eed 
Cross or the Liberty Loans, he was promptly reported. A 
few fines of $500 each in the district court soon stopped all 
disloyalty talk. The Non-Partisan League was watched 
closely but we got nothing disloyal at their meetings and 
could find no openly disloyal acts. They have an unusual 
proportion of persons of German extraction in their mem- 
bership. At the beginning of the war a good many farmers 
tried to keep their sons at home, often using strongly col- 
ored affidavits. Some honestly felt that the duty to furnish 
food was greater than the duty to fight, which attitude 
sometimes led to unfounded accusations against them." 

Wilkin County, Minnesota, watched Non-Partisan League 
activities closely. Members of this none too loyal organiza- 
tion talked less freely when they learned that they were 
being watched. The community had some clergymen with 
strong German tendencies, but these also experienced a 
change of heart. One German alien, registered at Omaha, 
Nebraska, who had left without permission, was arrested 
until the Department of Justice at St. Paul could take him 
over. The fact of his arrest created a large silence among 
the pro-Germans of the region. 

Grant County, Minnesota, has a little report. " A few 
minor investigations of false statements about deferred 
classifications were made. We got the facts. Our County 
is small, no large settlements, and everyone knows practically 
everybody else, so there was little for us to do." 

Winona, Minnesota, sends in the best kind of a report — 
with few or no figures under most lettered heads. Winona 



410 THE WEB 

has about 20,000 inhabitants, and is a small farming com- 
munity with a floating population. Much of the work of 
the division was in stopping local gossip and loose talking. 
The League did, however, locate one deserter, who was duly- 
turned over. 

MISSOURI 

The tracing of a deserter may take a hundred pages in a 
file. A certain man registered in St. Louis, but never turned 
in his questionnaire. He was classified by the Adjutant 
General of Missouri as a deserter, and A. P. L. was re- 
quested to find him. Search revealed him in James City, 
Pennsylvania. The chief of police of a nearby town found 
the man in bed. The deserter, whose name may be called 
Bates, resisted fiercely. It was stated of him that he was 
the first man the chief of police ever arrested who succeeded 
in breaking a pair of handcuffs. He fought all the time until 
he was put in jail. Mr. Bates, it is to be hoped, fought 
equally well in the army. He certainly got his chance to 
do so. 

D. W. B -, from St. Louis, was once in the 108th 

Infantry, but vanished therefrom, leaving his uniform in 
New York with a friend. One paragraph, the last page in 

the file, will cover the case of Mr. B : [' As subject 

was apprehended in Buffalo, the commanding officer at 
Fort Niagara was communicated with, and he detailed a 
sergeant to come to Buffalo on December 17. The sergeant 
took B into custody and conveyed him to Fort Niag- 
ara, where he is at present." 

Kansas City, among other cases, turned in a love letter 
written by a local young lady to a Japanese, Heroshirmo, at 
present living in Japan. The letter begins: '* Dear Hero- 
shirmo: How I want to write to you pages and pages of 
something, I am not sure what. I want to tell you first 
about the beautiful summer that has just passed, how beau- 
tiful the trees and flowers were, how infinite and blue the 
sky " — but perhaps that will be enough. 

The A. P. L. noticed the post-mark and thought that this 
sort of correspondence ought to be looked into. It should. 
The Japanese had once stopped in Kansas City as a member 



THE STORY OF THE NORTH 411 

of a Commission on its way to Washington, and had visited 
local friends. No international plot was unveiled in this 
case. Just the trees and flowers were discovered to be beau- 
tiful and the sky very blue. To be sure, the writer being 
a woman, the letter had a postscript : ' ' Just because I have 
been sick, would you like to send me a genuine Japanese 
kimona? I must tell you that all of the first page of your 
last letter except the first few lines were cut out by the cen- 
sor. D n the war. ' ' 

Jefferson City, Missouri, has jurisdiction over several 
counties but the division consisted of only twenty-one mem- 
bers. These men were of great value to the Department 
of Justice at Kansas City. The sparsely settled nature of 
the country around Jefferson City meant a great deal of 
automobile travel. The Chief says he has traveled as high 
as ninety-five miles in his own car on one case. This meant 
a vast amount of work for the small membership of the 
League at that point. It acquitted itself admirably. 

Clinton, Missouri, faithfully performed a large volume of 
routine work such as comes to most of the divisions — some 
three hundred cases in all, uiider various headings. The 
Chief concludes: " Our activities have been abundant. 
We mean to continue our organization here until there is 
no further need for it. Our personnel is made up of the 
best men in this county. Our system of warning by red- 
white-and-blue cards has been adopted in many States and 
by the National Council of Defense." 

Monett, Missouri, had some trouble from the fact that 
drafted men were at first able to obtain alcoholic beverages 
there. This was stopped by the local League. There was 
considerable propaganda by word of mouth in this locality 
which was choked off. One deserter defied all local officers 
to capture him and take him back to camp. Nevertheless 
he was taken, returned to camp, court-martialed and sen- 
tenced to a term in the federal prison. As a whole, the peo- 
ple of this community are law abiding 100-percent Amer- 
icans. Hence the League's work was light. 

Fayette, Missouri : ' ' Thirty investigations resulted in re- 
classifying twenty-five men. We arrested three camp de- 
serters and two men for disloyal acts. Found three men 
hoarding sugar and made them take it back. In some cases 



412 THE WEB 

we just warned parties that their conduct had been reported 
to be reprehensible, and evidence was produced by them to 
prove their later love and loyalty to the United States. ' ' 

IOWA 

Des Moines, Iowa, the very prosperous capital of the pros- 
perous state of Iowa, had an A. P. L. man attached to the 
Intelligence Service of the Army. He spoke German fluently 
and in order to investigate conditions inside a neighboring 
camp, he pretended to be a conscientious objector, thus being 
confined to barracks with other conscientous objectors, some 
real and some camouflage. A picked War Department Com- 
mittee, including the Governor of the State, was combing 
out these objectors and ran across the A. P. L. man. The 
latter was unable to explain, and had to go through as a 
conscientious objector and listen to a good lecture to boot! 

Des Moines had another case of a fine looking young man 
who weighed about 175 pounds and who sported a clever little 
military mustache. He was caught in a slacker drive and 
on the following morning hesitatingly handed the agent a 
telegram sent by his father, which read : "I have told you 
that damned eye-brow on your upper lip would get you 
into trouble. Tell the Government I say you are only twenty 
— you look older, but act younger. If you wish to please 
your father, enlist in the Navy. ' ' The son enlisted. 

Iowa City, Iowa, is a university town, a good, peaceful 
and thrifty community and one of the most useful in the 
West. The foreign element in that district has been rather 
Bohemian than German, but the population has the usual 
admixture. There are two precincts populated by Mennon- 
ites, whose religion is work and not war. One of these good 
folk refused to buy Liberty Bonds but sold enough walnut 
logs from his farm to make several thousand gun stocks. 
This man was finally persuaded to buy as many dollars 
in bonds as his logs made gun stocks. Some conscientious 
objectors from Camp Dodge were sent out to farm among 
these Mennonite brothers and thus escaped the draft, whereas 
local loyal farmers ' sons had to go to the front. This created 
bitter feeling. Most of these dodgers were recalled. 

Oskaloosa, Iowa, had its own share of local wrangles over 



THE STORY OF THE NORTH 413 

League war activities. One suspect was brought up under 
charges of disloyalty by reason of many reports coming in 
against him. He was indicted and the local Chief says: 
" I have no doubt of his conviction had he not died since." 

Hardin County, Iowa, had an organization which kept 
this community decent and orderly and up to the front in 
all of the war activities. The chief was a member of the 
Bureau of Military Affairs for Hardin County, which had 
charge of all the war work. He was also on the County 
Committee of Four on Military Instruction, whose duty it 
was to instruct and train drafted men. Other members of 
the A. P. L. were on the Legal Advisory Board and also 
were of assistance to the drafted men. A steady-going and 
firm-stepping community. 

Corning, Iowa, worked in the usual unostentatious way 
with the Food and Fuel administrations, etc. Two indict- 
ments were brought against a man who blocked war activ- 
ities, the fines going to the Red Cross. 

Green County reports : ' ' All quiet in this section. Very 
few Germans in our county. None showed disloyalty ex- 
cept one old German woman who wrote to her son, a mis- 
sionary in China. Her family promised to keep her loyal. 
We examined into the German Lutheran schools and German 
language assemblages. Nothing of much consequence." 

Decorah, Iowa, is another peaceful community in a peace- 
ful State. Little or no trouble was met here. ' ' The A. P. 
L. was organized rather late." says the report, " owing to 
the fact that we had a most thorough and efficient Defense 
Council at work. ' ' 

Indianola, Iowa, is also a place of peace. The League 
had been organized only a short time when the Armistice 
broke, and there were but few activities. '' Indianola has 
a rural population," says the Chief, " with a very small 
percentage of foreign born. No trouble of any consequence. ' ' 

SOUTH DAKOTA 

Aberdeen, South Dakota, must have been a good talking 
point for German propagandists, because it reports 122 eases 
of propaganda by word of mouth, and 128 cases of propa- 
ganda by printed matter. The division was called on to 



414 THE WEB 

take active part in the I. W. W. labor troubles, and this part 
of its work is described at some length in the Chief's re- 
port: 

Thousands of I. W. W.'s drift here at harvest time. Their 
jungles sometimes contain as many as one thousand men. 
They take charge of whole trains, and force railroads to carry 
them wherever they wish. They have forced the city authori- 
ties in small communities to send them a specified amount of 
food, and have defied the authorities of larger cities to con- 
trol them. By their methods of sabotage, murder and arson 
they have terrorized certain sections of this state and de- 
stroyed millions of dollars' worth of property. In the summer 
of 1917 the annual influx started. The A. P. L. was called 
on for assistance, and decidedly effective measures were 
adopted. Home Guards and citizens were organized — later 
called by a D. J. officer "the Klu Klux Klan of the Prairies." 
Anyhow, this section of the prairies was soon clear. In con- 
sequence, a strike was declared by the Minneapolis branch of 
the I. W. W. and some of their gunmen were sent out. The 
property of the Chief of Police at Aberdeen was burnt. In 
less than two weeks four of these men were under arrest and 
two of them are now serving sentences in the Federal Peniten- 
tiary at Leavenworth. The methods adopted by this branch 
of the A. P. L. have proved efficacious. Thousands of dollars' 
worth of property have been saved. 

As Aberdeen is located in one of the Non-Partisan League 
districts, and as reports have come from nearby towns de- 
noting a large percentage of pro-Germanism, it may be well 
to quote further from the report of this division. The 
Chief says that one family living in Hecla, strongly pro-Ger- 
man, declared they would never be taken alive. The A. P. L. 
took over the case. One man was shot resisting arrest. Five 
members of the family were arrested and two were convicted, 
while one remains to be tried. " This stopped pro-German 
utterances in that community," says the Chief, " and mate- 
rially aided in the sale of bonds. ' ' 

In December, 1917, Fred H of Aberdeen was in- 
terned for pro-German utterances. His wife turned state's 
evidence on members of the local German club where mem- 
bers had been fined for speaking the English language. Four 
of the leading spirits of this club were taken into custody, 
one of .them the publisher of three German language news- 



THE STORY OF THE NORTH 415 

papers of wide circulation which were openly pro-German. 
This man had sent to von Bernstorif $10,000, ostensibly to 
be used for the German Red Cross — all of it raised from 
readers of his publication through the sale of the " iron 
ring. ' ' This man was sentenced and fined $500. An asso- 
ciate editor of the same string of papers was interned also. 
One of the parties was president of the South Dakota 
German- American Alliance, and published a German lan- 
guage paper at Sioux Falls. He was charged with writing 
a letter which reads as follows : 

I have never given any declaration of loyalty and never will 
do it, nor subscribe to any Liberty Loan. The name is to me 
already an emetic because hypocritical and misleading. That 
a man perhaps buys bonds for business considerations, I can 
understand, but I myself couldn't do it without thinking that 
my $50 or $100 might perhaps buy the explosive which Ameri- 
can accomplices of the allied plunderbund might throw on the 
house of my mother. 

The writer of the above, as head of the German- American 
Alliance, raffled a picture of the crew of the Deutschland 
after our declaration of war, and sold souvenirs from the 
boat, remitting the funds to New York German centers. He 
was sentenced to ten years in the Federal penitentiary. 

The active Chief of Aberdeen also caught H. M. H , 

a former lieutenant in the German Navy and an ex-instructor 
in the Naval School at Hamburg, who was also active in 
the German-American Alliance. He got five years in the 
Federal penitentiary for urging young men of draft age not 
to enlist. Another alien enemy whose papers show that he 
once had wealthy connections in Germany, although he was 
engaged in making a scanty living at baling hay, was re- 
ported as a Prussian and believed to be dangerous. Yet 

another, "William B , was picked up in Aberdeen and 

told a tale that sounded like one by Deadwood Dick. He 
said he lived in the mountains of California with his uncle, 
who was a smuggler. He was found to be communicating 
with the I. "W. W., and was sent to a detention camp. An- 
other arrest was made, of Ed. E , a wealthy farmer who 

stated he would rather see his daughter in a house of prostitu- 
tion than a member of the Red Cross. He was sentenced to 



416 THE WEB 

five years in the penitentiary, and this has discouraged the 
expression of such sentiments near Aberdeen. 

Now, if there were nothing else whatever printed in these 
pages, the foregoing would show the necessity for such an 
organization as the American Protective League, even in 
communities far away from manufacturing centers and not 
supposed to be governed by the foreign element. The report 
of the Chief of the Aberdeen Division affords grave reading 
and matter for grave consideration. In that one little com- 
munity, which does not turn in memoranda of all its cases, 
there were 312 Department of Justice cases, 156 War De- 
partment cases, and three Navy Department cases. Seven- 
teen persons were arrested or interned. Perhaps the most 
noteworthy of the recommendations made by the local Chief 
is this: " It has been the experience of this branch that 
the communities reached by the German language publica- 
tions have been decidedly disloyal. It is our opinion that 
action should be urged upon Congress to discontinue the 
foreign language press in America." These last are words 
of gold. They ought to be remembered by every man hold- 
ing office in the United States and by every man seeking the 
suffrages of real American citizens. The time for mincing 
matters with these gentry has gone by. 

NORTH DAKOTA 

Fargo, North Dakota, hands in a report which varies in 
one important particular from those received from neigh- 
boring districts. The division was not making trouble enough 
for the rampant pro-Germans in Fargo, so the League 
turned around and investigated some of its own officers. 
None the less, the report tells of a story of accomplishment, 
there being 101 disloyalty and sedition cases, 109 cases under 
the Selective Service Act, and eight cases of enemy sympa- 
thizers who threatened the life of the President. 

KANSAS 

It will be no surprise to those who know Kansas to learn 
that this ultra-progressive, prosperous, energetic State was 
unswervingly loyal throughout the war, and had few cases 
of any kind to report. A few sentences quoted from the 



THE STORY OF THE NORTH 417 

reports of several representative little towns will serve to 
show the Kansas war temperature varied from normal but 
slightly, if at all. 

Oswego, Kansas, reports succinctly: " One hundred per- 
cent patriotism — no aliens." 

White City, Kansas, says : ' ' Ours is a community of loyal 
citizens. We spoke to a few about talking too much. Nothing 
serious. ' ' 

Council Grove, Kansas, proved to be a great deal quieter 
than it used to be in the days of the Santa Fe trail. The 
Chief says: " We had a few pro-German sympathizers 
whose cases we turned over to the Department of Justice to 
investigate. ' ' 

NEBRASKA 

The A. P. L. Division at Omaha, Nebraska, was organized 
at a rather late date, July 1, 1918. The Armistice shattered 
the activities at a time when there were three hundred mem- 
bers of the League, each man ready to do what was asked 
of him. The Omaha Chief reports sixty cases of disloyalty 
and sedition, and several thousand investigations made in 
conjunction with D. J. as a result of the slacker raids, as 
well as 700 in connection with the Department of Labor. 

The Chief at Hastings, Nebraska, says : "I did not know 
the work would be so extensive, or that there would be so 
much to do. We have investigated some cases for Omaha, 
and have done a great deal of work on draft cases for the 
state and county boards. We have been glad to do this 
work, and I am thankful that I could help my country 
this much." 

Callaway, Nebraska, has a grievance: " I had one genu- 
ine case of seditious utterance, but we did not get the evi- 
dence. This man was elected State Senator by the Non- 
partisan League. He worked against the Liberty Bond 
drive. Fortunately, this year our Senator is not of his 
sort politically." 

David City, Nebraska, reports the usual routine work. 
One pro-German was taken into custody for making sedi- 
tious remarks, and was bound over to the grand jury for 
trial. The local Chief reports that his organization is being 
held intact against any future emergency. 



CHAPTER III 

THE STOEY OF THE SOUTH 

The South is, in its percentage as to population, the 
finest, cleanest, truest and most loyal part of the United 
States to-day. It holds more of the native born Americans, 
fewer of the foreign born, and fewer alien enemies than any 
like extent of our National possessions. The only pure-bred 
American population, sufficiently so to entitle it to a distinct 
origin-color of its own on the government census maps, lies 
along the crest of the southern Appalachians. There, in 
parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, 
Alabama, lower Virginia, there are Americans who for 
generations have known no admixture of any foreign blood. 
You will find illiteracy there, poverty, small industrial 
development. That has come about by reason of a topog- 
raphy which has left transportation undeveloped. The peo- 
ple have been held back from the westbound progress of 
the nation almost as though caught by the cleats of the 
great flume through which poured our early Scotch-Irish, In- 
dian-fighting, wilderness-conquering ancestry. But it is the 
finest of gold that those cleats have caught — a clean-bred, 
persistent type, of the highest honor, the highest courage, 
the highest intellectual quality, the highest physical quali- 
ties. Here and here alone you will find a true American 
type, come down with little change from our Colonial days. 
Would God that every state in the ISlorth and West had 
these men as the real inheritors of America, and not the 
snarling mob of foreigners who in- the last few decades have 
come to be called American citizens. We have seen in some 
part how loyal these last have been, how much they cared 
for the flag of America. 

The stock of our Highlands has furnished us many strong 
men, many of our greatest leaders, our greatest statesmen. 
Above all, it is fierce fighting stock. It has been held back 
by lack of education. These stark mountaineers are far 

418 



THE STORY OF THE SOUTH 419 

more illiterate than were their grand-parents. To-day, 
in a Cumberland cabin, you may find a Latin gram- 
mar, or a tragedy in the original Greek, of which the owner 
will say, "I kaint read none of hit. Grandpap fetched it 
across the mountings when he come." "Across the moun- 
tains ' ' lay the Carolinas and Old Virginia, seats of the most 
cultured and aristocratic life this country ever knew, and 
equal to the best of any land. "When we lost that, we lost 
the flower of the American civilization. "We never shall re- 
place it. There is no America to-day. There never can be, 
unless the seed of the old American stock — never lacking 
in leaders — one day shall raise its voice as of old in coun- 
cils where it will find hearkening. 

The South is a wide country, covering a certain diversity 
of nature, but it remains singularly like throughout its bor- 
ders. Politically it is still the slave of the color question, 
whose endgio man can see. That same question restricts 
the South largely to agriculture. Of late, Northern money 
and methods have been reaching out for the raw wealth of 
Southern mines and forests, even farming lands. It is in 
respect of these later slight changes in the character of the 
southern life that the A. P. L. has found its main function 
there. Had it not been for imported labor, the A. P. L. 
would have had no alien and seditious cases, no propaganda 
and no disloyalty to report, because it is absolutely true 
that our Southern States, which once thought themselves 
oonstitutionally justified in secession, to-day -re more loyal 
to the American flag man for man, town for town, state for 
state, than any or all the remaining states in this Union. 

This is true ; and yet it is also altogether true that a few 
Southern States furnished more eases of desertion or draft 
evasion than thrice that number of states in any other por- 
tion of the Union, even though with heavy foreign-born 
population. How can these two statements be reconciled? 

It is easy, and the level-headed A. P. L. chiefs time and 
again have made it plain in their reports. A large percent 
of the selective service work had to do with brave young 
fighting men to whom liberty and personal freedom made 
the breath of their nostrils. Many of them were ignorant 
— ^more is the pity. "While we have coddled the treacherous 
European immigrant, we have forgotten our own children. 



420 THE WEB 

Better had we thrown the maudlin Statue of Liberty into 
the sea, or turned its face about the other way ! 

The young Southerner who could not read grandpap's 
Latin book, or any other book, who saw no daily paper and 
knew nothing of the outside world, knew only that he did 
not want to fight in a war of which he knew nothing and 
in which he did not think he or his had any stake. Nobody 
had threatened him, no men had stolen anything of his, he 
did not know where Germany was, and he had never seen 
a German to learn to hate him. Why should he fight? He 
concluded he would not fight. He would just hide till this 
war was over, because it was none of his war. 

Very much of the A. P. L. work in the South had to do 
with getting into the young man's comprehension that our 
Flag was in danger ; that our women and children had been 
killed by men that did not fight like men but like brutes. 
Once that got into the mountain man's mind, the day for 
desertion was past and gone. There are no braver or more 
skilled fighting men in the world than in these Southern 
hills. There are none more loyal. They did their part and 
were ready to do it wherever called. They helped win the 
war for America as well as those from richer states. Now 
that the war is over, let America forget Europe's sordid 
sycophants, the grinning reservists of the "unbeaten" Ger- 
man Army, and turn attention to these, her own children 
— no cuckoo product without an ancestry to claim, who have 
no love for this country beyond their love for this country's 
easy money. 

MARYLAND 

Largely Southern in its population, traditions and political 
sympathies, yet Northern in its aggressive spirit and indus- 
trial enterprise, the city of Baltimore perhaps is entitled to 
be called "American" more than any other big city on the 
Atlantic seaboard. It has always been American, and in 
this war has only proven anew what has always been known 
by those who knew Baltimore. A hundred years or so ago, 
in the War of 1812, its citizens fought and fell gloriously 
in defense of their city before the British. A beautiful 
monument commemorates their heroism. In this war, there 



THE STORY OF THE SOUTH 421 

was no city in the country more loyal to our Government and 
our Allies. 

Let it not be thought, however, that the enemy was inactive 
in Baltimore. Trouble, active and potential, was present 
at all times. That it did not flare up into open destruction 
was no fault of the trouble-makers. Like all ports of entry, 
Baltimore has a considerable foreign element. Thousands 
of foreigners were employed in its shipbuilding plants, on 
its docks, and in the Bessemer steel works located near the 
city. Of pro-Germans and alien enemies there was a plenty. 
Many of them, indeed, remembering the landing of the 
DeutscJiland at Baltimore before the war, would have wel- 
comed and aided a wholesale submarine raid by the enemy — 
were this possible. 

However, this did not come to pass, nor did many other 
things come to pass that were justifiably feared. The pro- 
German, the alien enemy, the agitator, the Bolshevist were 
held safe at all times. Baltimore's many industries were 
guarded well. Happily, that industry which has given her 
world-wide fame — the oyster industry — required no protec- 
tion, and it is a pleasure to record that the nation's supply 
of sea-food was uninterrupted during the war. 

A prolific source of trouble for the Baltimore Division lay 
in the city's proximity to the national capital. The over- 
crowded condition of Washington during the war forced a 
huge overflow of population into Baltimore, and thus doubled 
the amount of work that otherwise would probably have 
been required. This work was tackled with energy and 
efficiency by the Baltimore Division, which was one of the 
very largest for a city of its size in the country. When the 
Armistice came, there were 2,500 operatives engaged in the 
multifold activities of the League. The following report does 
not begin to tell the full story of their achievement : 

Alien enemy cases 110 

Sedition and disloyalty 685 

Cliaracter and loyalty 309 

Draft evasion 546 

Deserters 225 

Liquor and vice 100 

Food Administration 3 

Miscellaneous 110 

\ 



422 THE WEB 

Baltimore Division organized and was on the job during 
the very first month of the war. Its first Chief was Mr. 
Edmund Leigh, who solved the many knotty problems of 
organization and finance which arose in the early 'stages of 
the League's growth. Mr. Leigh was succeeded by Mr. Wil- 
liam J. Neale in August, 1918, who acted as head of the 
division until November, 1918, when Mr. Tilghman G. Pitts 
became Chief. 



VIRGINIA 

Norfolk, Virginia, was fortunate in having as its chief a 
gentleman very prominent in all the war charities, and also 
of such generosity of nature that he paid all the expenses 
of the League out of his own pocket. 

Conditions might have been much worse at this seaport 
locality, for only eight cases of alien enemy activity are 
listed, and five cases of disloyalty and sedition. This divi- 
sion, however, was able to do a great deal of work for the 
War Department, and among other matters found one illicit 
still and made four I, W. W. investigations. Another phase 
of the work was supplying the M. I. D. officer at the Army 
Supply Base — Quartermaster 's Terminal — near Norfolk, 
with many photographs of alien enemies and slackers. The 
Division had operatives in Army and Navy headquarters, 
among workmen, etc., and had such men included in its 
personnel as bookkeepers, timekeepers and others whose work 
was much appreciated by Military Intelligence. The chief 
had twenty-one assistants, all good men. 

White Sulphur Springs, Virginia, had one typical pro- 
German case. Adolph S , a baker of this town, held 

certain opinions which would not strictly classify as Ameri- 
can. When asked to purchase War Savings Stamps, he ex- 
pressed himself as follows : "To hell with your War Savings 
Stamps. If Uncle Sam didn't have money enough to finance 
the war, why did he go into it ? When the American soldiers 
get to France, you'll find they won't do anything but run 
like hell." 

He said a great deal more in similar vein, which "was 
hardly suitable," says the Chief's report, "for polite ears." 
In the U. S. District Court, at Charleston, S confessed 



THE STORY OF THE SOUTH 423 

to a violation of the Espionage Act, was fined $100 and sen- 
tenced to two years in the penitentiary, 

Lynchburg, Virginia, reports that it was rather quiet. 
One thing it did was to draw the fangs of an organization 
which was formed to punish such pro- Germans and war 
obstructionists as the law did not touch. The A. P. L. has 
always done its work hand in hand with the law, and 
throughout the war has resolutely set its face against any- 
thing savoring of lynch law. 

Considerable local trouble arose from returned negro sol- 
diers, discharged from service, who stated that they had 
saved the world from Hun oppression and were entitled to 
recognition. These statements had effect on the ignorant 
population, and it is firmly believed by the Chief that the 
' ' South has a problem on its hands in this connection which 
will require considerable time, effort and patience, if not 
bloodshed, to solve." Any one acquainted in the least de- 
gree with the great problem of the South will realize the 
gravity and sincerity of this comment. 

WEST VIRGINIA 

There were ' ' hot times in the old town ' ' of Hinton, West 
Virginia, in good part by reason of the activities of one man, 
the local Chief, who, for some time was cook, captain and 
mate of the Nancy i)rig. Local disloyalty induced him to 
go to Washington and ask government help, and the League 
organization followed. One pro-German in Hinton had the 
Kaiser's picture on the wall. It is not there now. The 
head of this family was a locomotive engineer. The Chief 
notified railroad officials not to allow him to handle any 
troop trains. Another engineer expressed the belief that a 
troop train was carrying "some more fish bait." He was 
also relieved of any future work on troop trains. Two 
school teachers, after talking with the Chief, hung up four 
United States flags and began to sing all the latest war 
songs as well as take an active part in Loan drives. Red 
Cross work, etc. The largest hotel in the town did not speak 
well of the war, and the Chief notified the officers in charge 
of troop trains to get their meals somewhere else. A local 
newspaper printed an article reflecting on the Red Cross 



424 THE WEB 

canteen. '*I had all the papers publish an article over my 
signature," says the Chief, " that any criticism of the Red 
Cross should be addressed to the Bureau of Investigation at 
Washington. For this I have been commended by the Red 
Cross membership." It appears that he ought to be com- 
mended for his own record, which, on the face of it, is in the 
blue-ribbon class. 

NORTH CAROLINA 

Lexington, N. C, is in the southern mountains. The Chief 
says : * ' Owing to the peculiar reaction of the mountaineer 's 
philosophy to the draft laws, many of them ' stepped back ' 
into the ' brush ' to wait until the war was over. We spent 
much time in traveling around among the lumber jacks and 
sent out word to many delinquents. It was a simple thing 
to reach most of these men through the medium of some 
trusted friend — much simpler than sending armed men into 
the laurel thickets after the fugitives. I don't believe there 
is one case out of ten in western North Carolina where any 
of our men avoided the draft through a malicious motive. 
Whenever a friendly adviser could reach them to explain 
the situation, the majority of them gladly came out. We 
often made trips of from thirty to fifty miles into the 
isolated sections. At one point thirty miles from a railroad 
we got information which was sent across the sea to France 
and stopped an undesirable appointee to Y. M. C. A. work 
there. Some humorous things came up in our mountain 
travels. One day our road dwindled to an almost obliter- 
ated trail with grass growing all over it. We sighted an 
old woman, the first human being seen for several hours, 
and asked her if that was the right way to Doeville. The 
old woman looked at us with great contempt, and remarked : 
' ' Lord bless us, you-all is right in Doeville dis minute ! ' ' 

The Chief of Lexington says that not everyone under- 
stands the mountain boys and that they certainly make ex- 
cellent fighters when in the army. '' One of them in my 
district," reports the Chief, " had to be run down and 
captured by his own father, who delivered him over to the 
authorities for military service. This boy was the first of 
his company to distinguish himself in France. ' ' 



THE STORY OF THE SOUTH 425 

The Chief of Salisbury, North Carolina, Division sends in 
his final report in homely and convincing phrases, a mark of 
the good common sense employed in his work. One pro- 
German was called into the office and the Chief said to him : 

' ' Mr. , I hear that the next time you and your family 

come to town over the public road, you are going to be 
blown up without any warning." The man struck the table 
with his fist and said : ' ' I 'd like to know how ! The public 
road is mine and I 'm going to travel on it. ' ' The Chief said : 
" So our ships had a public highway to Europe. The Ger- 
mans have destroyed vessels, women and children without 
warning. What do you think of it? " The pro-German 
thought this over a minute and exclaimed: " Why hasn't 
some one talked to me like that before ? I never saw it that 
way before." 

Hickory, N. C, says: '' Our work was largely educa- 
tional. We had no aliens — all native bom American citi- 
zens. Thirty of our leading citizens constituted the member- 
ship of the League. When we went to work, all the ' agin- 
ners ' who were against the war got on the right side. Espe- 
cially was this true after the amended espionage act went 
into effect. In my judgment," says the Chief, " the psycho- 
logical effect of an organization that could be felt but not 
seen helped wonderfully in bringing to their right senses 
the small minority that were not in right at the start." 

Durham, N. C, pulled off one raid on a circus crowd and 
got ten slackers. ' ' Our community has a foreign element, ' ' 
says the Chief, " and is above the average in respect to law 
and order. Olir members were prominent in the war ac- 
tivities. ' ' 

SOUTH CAROLINA 

Anderson, S. C, says: *' Our organization has been 
anxious to answer every call. There are practically no 
foreigners in this section, so violations of the war measures 
have been almost negligible. Most of our work has been 
making reports for overseas service. The men all consider 
it a great honor to have been members of the League." 

A man whom we may call Benny Vogel deserted from the 
105th Infantry at Camp Wadsworth, South Carolina. In 



426 THE WEB 

some way, he found his way to Schenectady, New York, 
where he proceeded casually to marry a young lady of that 
city, under date of April 19, 1918. The wife was watched. 
The deserter was caught and returned for punishment. 

St. Matthews, S. C, reports: " On the whole there was 
little enemy activity. We unearthed six cases of discharged 
soldiers drawing government money who were not entitled 
to it, and eight cases of parties receiving allotments from 
soldiers for incorrect amounts. We changed such undesir- 
able sentiment as existed in our community, and with tact 
and judgment rather than by drastic measures. We think 
our community is among the most loyal of any in America 
and doubt seriously if there is one per cent disloyalty here. 
Some who at first were lukewarm changed, and we knew 
it was due to the policy adopted by our organization. We 
worked on the Sunday law and the fuel laws, the food regu- 
lations, etc., all in a quiet way, but, we think, with good re- 
sults throughout our county." 

GEORGIA 

All sorts of stories show in the League files. One regard- 
ing submarine bases along the Georgia and Carolina coast 
was traced down to the purchase of a piece of land by a 
former grocery clerk, a naturalized German, who resided in 
Savannah for many years. He was outspoken in his sym- 
pathy with Germany before the United States entered the 
war. A report made by the Navy Department to the Na- 
tional Directors of the League states: 

On January 6, 1918, this man was tried in the city court 
of Savannah and found guilty of violating the prohibition 
laws. He was fined $400 and sentenced to six months on 
the chain gang. Before he had fully served his sentence he 
was re-arrested by the United States Marshal on a presiden- 
tial warrant and subsequently interned." The brief phrase 
" presidential warrant " covered many and many a case of 
naturalized Germans who became too loquacious in this 
country before and after we entered the war. 

Atlanta, Georgia, had a nice scare about the report that a 
German U-boat captain had landed and was on his way to 
Atlanta, dressed in an American officer's uniform. Opera- 



THE STORY OF THE SOUTH 427 

tives were out and trailed every military or quasi-military 
looking man on the streets or anywhere else. Their first 
haul included a major from the Judge Advocate General's 
office and a Judge from the Federal Court. The next alarm 
came from two operatives who trailed an officer just off the 
train, who turned out to be a colonel of the Quartermaster's 
Corps, U, S. A. The latter was able to make his escape. 
The Chief adds : ' ' Just how many suspects were held up 
that night it would be difficult to state. Operative No. 3 
turned in a report of his activities the next morning. It 
seemed he had held up the following personnel: One Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel, sixteen Majors, twenty-three Captains, forty- 
two Lieutenants, one Lieutenant-Commander, three Ensigns, 
and seven Sergeants ^ — a total of ninety-two suspects. He 
closed his report with the following heartfelt remarks: 
'' Well, I didn't know what kind of uniform the German 
had. Besides, every man I stopped was a blond. I didn't 
stop any other sort." D. J. reported it was satisfied that 
no German submarine officer had visited Atlanta. 

ALABAMA 

Birmingham, Alabama, was one of the most active and 
interesting divisions of the League. It took on 1,849 cases 
under the Selective Service Act, 76 investigations of pro- 
Germans, 123 cases of deserters, and 153 Red Cross loyalty 
reports, besides a large list of general war activities. Some 
of the star cases of deserter hunting at Birmingham are 
reported in another chapter. 

Like many another community, Birmingham also had its 
wireless case, and like most cases of the sort throughout the 
country, it created much excitement in the division while 
it lasted. Certain mysterious light flashes, supposed to be 
signals, were reported along the top of a high hill on the out- 
skirts of the city. Operatives detailed on the case could 
learn nothing, but still reports kept coming in. Finally, one 
astute visiting chief followed a high-powered transmission 
line along the mountain and found that the limb of a tree 
at a certain spot would touch the wire when swayed by the 
wind. The repeated rubbing had worn away the insulation, 
exposing the bare wire. When the limb came in contact 



428 THE WEB 

with the wire, especially during a rainy night, a spark would 
be made when the limb and wire separated : The Chief adds : 
" "When the limb was cut off, we received no further reports 
of mysterious signals." There has been bluish- white lights 
which some thought indicated a wireless outfit in operation. 

Montgomery, Alabama, reports one of those curious cases 
which were sometimes met" with in the course of the League's 
investigations. This was a straight-goods, dyed-in-the-wool, 
bona-fide conscientious objector. His name was W. A. 

P , a farmer who had a son in the draft, but who 

needed him on the farm. He accompanied the boy to the 
examination board, after the young man had been arrested 
by the sheriff. He brought his Bible to the board and tried 
to prove that he was justified in his objections ; that he was 
responsible for the care of this boy ; that the Lord had given 
him that duty and no one else. The old man was violently 
opposed to bloodshed and quoted the scriptural words, 
' ' Thou shalt not kill, ' ' and ' ' Children, obey your parents. ' ' 
The Chief had a long talk with him at his farm. He ad- 
mitted that he told his son not to answer questions, and that 
he had another son who had attained his eighteenth birthday 
and had not registered. The Chief told him to be careful 
or he would get into trouble. He said, ^' I am not getting 
into any trouble; it is you people who are provoking the 
wrath of God." All the agent could do was to tell him that 
he must come before the United States Commissioners. 

P was brought in to the Committee, and bound over 

to the grand jury. Before the trial, he stood up and re- 
marked, " Let us have a word of prayer," and prayed fer- 
vently for several minutes. He carried his Bible with him 

at all times. P seemed to be generous. '' He came 

to Montgomery and brought a couple of gallons of nice syrup 
for the Deputy and Commissioners," says the Chief. One 
would think that the A. P. L. would be glad to have peace 
at any price in such surroundings, even without syrup. 

Selma, Alabama, is another one of the loyal Southern 
communities. " We kept down seditious utterances," says 
the Chief. ' ' Without doubt we have had a most wholesome 
effect on our citizenry by letting every one know that this 
was not a time for anything that was not one hundred per 
cent American. I do not believe there was a greater force 



THE STORY OF THE SOUTH 429 

for good in the State of Alabama than the American Pro- 
tective League." 

FLORIDA 

Cocoa, Florida, is not far from one of the Government 
shipyards, and so had had some contact with persons in- 
clined to be pro-German. By way of explaining the addi- 
tional activities sometimes taken on by the League, the Chief 
says: " This office worked with the Special Agents at 
Jacksonville, and with officers of the Seventh Naval District. 
"We have also given information to the Collector of Internal 
Revenue concerning those who should pay income tax. Our 
division consisted of twenty-four members — all high-class 
men who could be relied upon in any emergency that might 
arise. We were taking steps to enlarge the organization 
when the German balloon burst. ' ' 

Eustis, Florida, was more especially concerned with war 
cases. Forty-one cases of draft delinquency were handled; 
two slacker raids were conducted, and there was a little 
" work or fight " activity. Eustis is in a county which 
had the reputation of harboring a good many slackers and 
deserters, who sought peace and quiet in some of the out-of- 
the-way places. Through the activities of the local A. P. L. 
division, this situation was cleared up distinctly. The Chief 
says : ' ' We believe we have been instrumental in pro- 
tecting many people from their own follies, and have brought 
to justice men who were engaged in obstructing the Govern- 
ment's war activities in one part of the country or another. 
It has been a pleasurable though arduous service that some 
of us have rendered in this work. ' ' 

Kissimmee, Florida, reports: " All quiet along the Kis- 
simmee. Our community was singularly free of annoyance 
of any character. Two or three persons were indiscreet in 
their language, but we found that a small reminder was 
sufficient to stop the talk." 

KENTUCKY 

Louisville, Kentucky, is a busy and famous old town with 
a reputation for being engaged in the manufacture of 



430 THE WEB 

trouble-maMng products, but there seems to have been very- 
little trouble. Only eighty-nine cases of disloyalty and sedi- 
tion are reported, and 308 under the selective service regu- 
lations. 

Mr. George T. Eagsdale, the first Chief of Louisville Divi- 
sion, instructed his men to keep under cover, so that the 
personnel of the division was very little known. More than 
700 reports were made in all, and nine men were sent to 
the penitentiary. Local business men furnished most of the 
working capital. Upon Mr. Ragsdale's resignation, Mr. J. V. 
Norman was appointed Chief, taking over about 400 mem- 
bers. The city was divided into nine districts and the 
County in three, with the usual subdivisions of captains 
and lieutenants as operatives. The membership was up to 
about 700 at the time of the signing of the Armistice. 

Most of the investigations handled by the Louisville Divi- 
sion were on requests coming from local draft boards, al- 
though the several branches of the government's legal or- 
ganization frequently asked for aid. Several thousand men 
were questioned in the slacker raid of August 3. Thirty-five 
men were taken to jail and fourteen inducted ; among these, 
several deserters. Sometimes at a race track a quiet investi- 
gation would be put on without any open raid. 

Among the list of delinquents turned in was a man named 

Lyle D. B . An intercepted letter resulted in an 

examination of the man's mother, who refused to tell where 
he was. Portland, Oregon, was suspected as his present resi- 
dence. The case came to an end when it was found that the 
delinquent had been committed to the Federal penitentiary 
at McNeil Island, Washington. His questionnaire was for- 
warded by the local board to the penitentiary and returned 
properly filled in. The man had a fairly good alibi. The 
usual cases of religious fanatics, loud talkers and bearers 
of false witness were uncovered in the League's work. Many 
of the best citizens of Louisville were engaged in these some- 
what undignified and often thankless tasks of ferreting out 
such matters. 

Lexington, Kentucky, as might easily be expected, reports 
in American fashion : '* The sentiment of our entire popula- 
tion is hard against the Germans and their allies. Our peo- 
ple are almost unanimous in their opposition to showing 



THE STORY OF THE SOUTH 431 

Germany any consideration, even with, furnishing them 
food after their defeat. The one sentiment is that Germany 
could feed herself while in war; now let her feed herself 
since she is out of war." 

The work of the Lexington Division was mostly concerned 
with the local and district boards. It handled 405 cases of 
this sort. There were only thirty cases of disloyalty and 
sedition investigated, and forty cases of word-of-mouth 
propaganda. 

Marion, Kentucky, says: " We are glad to report that 
our county has been so patriotic that little of any importance 
required to be done. We had to caution a few of our citi- 
zens as to the bad results of opposition to the United States 
in the war. We have no foreign element. Our citizens come 
from Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina, and are of 
old families. We rarely see anyone of foreign descent in 
this section except traveling men who make trips through 
the county." 

Somerset, Kentucky, had a bad man — a deserter who 
escaped from Fort Oglethorpe once or twice, the last time 
taking along his rifle and pistol. He barricaded himself in 
an old house at Helenwood, Tennessee. The A. P. L. took 
him all right, in spite of his threats. He is in Fort Leaven- 
worth for twenty years. From far off Livingston, Montana, 
came a request to Somerset Division to arrest one Willie 

McK , a professional evader. He was found attending 

church. The Chief says : ' ' We walked in and gave him 
a tap on the shoulder, and told him to come out. Just as 
we started for the door, the choir began to sing, ' God be 
with you till we meet again.' It is going to be some time." 
Somerset concludes : ' ' We did not stop when the Armistice 
was signed, but kept watching everything and giAdng the 
Government the best that was in us ! " Isn 't that fine ? 

TENNESSEE 

The A. P. L. work in the beautiful and historic old city 
of Nashville was somewhat circumscribed because of the 
activities of other agencies already in existence. The divi- 
sion did its share in the routine work of war activities, appre- 
hending evaders, conducting numerous investigations, and 



432 THE WEB 

vigilantly keeping tab on the coinings and goings in the Old 
Hickory Powder Plant. 

Chattanooga, Tennessee, did its bit and did it well. Ten 
prisoners who escaped from the local War Prison were ap- 
prehended by division operatives, and brought back for re- 
internment. One member of the division discovered an 
extensive system of graft in connection with the Government 
construction work on the Nitrate Plant at Sheffield, Ala. 
Report of this was furnished to a Special Agent, who was 
detailed by the Government to conduct an investigation. 
The Chief comments: " Just what can be proven in this 
case remains to be seen. ' ' 

Some of the most amusing Chattanooga investigations 
were those of the religious sect known as the ' ' Holy 
Rollers." Several of these preachers had preached sermons 
in which they condemned the Red Cross and the Government 
generally. These men were apprehended, and members of 
their congregations testified at local headquarters. Some 
of these preachers were moved by the " spirit " in their 
testimony, but after they remained in jail a short time, they 
saw the Scriptures in a different light, and very few of them 
offended a second time. 

Another Chattanooga case had in it the possibilities of 
great mischief. A large amount of mail to an illiterate 
mountaineer caused an A. P. L. operative and a Special 
Agent of the Department of Justice to go to the top of Sand 
Mountain, and in a dirty log cabin they found a wagon load 
of I. W. W. literature and correspondence in which were 
letters from Emma Goldman and other leading lights of 
socialistic faith. The man himself was working in a foundry 
turning out Government orders ; he was organizing a strike 
at the time he was taken into custody. 

Clarksville, Tennessee, is in the loyal Southern country, 
and is very free from alien population. There were only 
twenty-five investigations for disloyalty and sedition, and 
propaganda was almost negligible. As this is the tobacco 
producing section, there was considerable property investi- 
gated under the Trading with the Enemy Act, and some 
helpful reports were made to the Alien Property Custodian. 
The League members were active in all the war work. 

Hopkinsville, Tennessee, had a great deal of trouble over 



THE STORY OF THE SOUTH 433 

illegal transportation of whiskey, a great deal of which went 
to workers in government powder plants in an adjoining 
city. " We arrested so many that no record was kept," 
says the Chief. Things became quieter later on. 

Huntingdon, Tennessee, is another disgustingly quiet and 
satisfied community. " People nearly all natives," says the 
report, " and mighty few expressions of disloyalty. We 
have watched for violations, but nothing has developed 
worthy of report." 

TEXAS 

San Antonio, Texas, is in a strongly pro-German neigh- 
borhood and has a large citizenry of German descent. It is 
refreshing nevertheless to see that in this good old Texas 
town, once distinctly Spanish, the language of the United 
States prevails to-day and only one flag floats over the 
Alamo. There were thirty-four investigations for sedition, 
and twenty-four cases of propaganda. The usual number 
of overseas examinations were held. On the whole, San 
Antonio seems to have been quiet and peaceful and distinctly 
loyal in every way, in spite of her location so close to New 
Braunfels. 

The San Antonio Chief concludes his too brief report with 
a little story : 

The telephone at my elbow rang insistently. The man at 
the other end of the wire was incoherent, and I could not 
understand what he wanted. 

"Hold on a minute!" I finally interrupted. "Who Is this 
speaking?" ^ 

He would not tell me; he merely said that he was a friend 
of mine. I did not like to give information over the 'phone 
when I was not sure as to whom I was talking. I again 
insisted that he give me his name; once more he refused to 
do so, reiterating that he was a good friend of mine. I could 
not recognize the voice. But what he said was startling. 

Recently I had been appointed Chief of the American Pro- 
tective League for this District, and how my informant had 
learned, or guessed, that I was engaged in it, I could not tell. 
I did not like to undertake a wild goose chase; at the same 
time, if I should refuse to follow up the clue he gave me, the 
lives of many might be endangered. 



434 i THE WEB 

Anything could happen in San Antonio. It is one of the 
oldest cities in the United States, and ever since the day the 
Spaniard founded it, has been a hotbed of intrigue. Just 
at this time there were fully twenty thousand troops stationed 
in the various Camps about the City, and in order to impress 
the Mexicans with the idea that we were not altogether help- 
less, it had been suggested that a patriotic military parade De 
given. This was to take place the following day, and I had 
spent many hours helping to arrange the details. And now, 
my mysterious "friend" had told me over the 'phone that he 
knew certain parties were plotting to throw a bomb into the 
parade; that if I would go to the certain house named^y 
him, I would find a meeting of the plotters in progress! 

There was no time to be wasted. I got in touch with one 

of my lieutenants, M , and asked him to meet me in 

half an hour, and to come armed. Before leaving the office 
I sent for a couple of suits of overalls, one of which I donned, 
and when I met M , I gave him the other. 

I told him all that I knew, and he realized that it was 
serious. We parked our car about two blocks from the house 
designated by my informant, and approached it afoot. The 
neighborhood was questionable. The house to which I had 
been directed stood a few feet back from the street in a neg- 
lected tangle of shrubbery. There was a fence about the prop- 
erty, but no gate. It was a small frame shack with two rooms 
in front and a third forming an ell. We walked around it 
cautiously several times, and finally discovered a light in the 
ell. The blinds were all tightly closed, and it was but a faint 
glimmer through a crack that we saw. We crawled carefully 
to the gallery and each looked through the crack. 

We could barely distinguish the forms of five men huddled 
over an oil stove in the middle of the room. Three were in 
overalls and had the appearance of laborers; one wore a 
shabby old suit of civilian clothes, and the fifth appeared to 
be in uniform. Their heads were close together and they 

seemed to be talking in low tones, but neither M nor I 

could distinguish a word that was said. 

There was a door a few feet from where we were, and I 
noticed another one on the opposite side of the room. I told 

M to go around to the other door and I would remain 

where I was. If either of us was able to distinguish any sus- 
picious words, or if we found any reason to suspect that the 
five men were actually plotting, a low whistle was to be the 
signal to the other, and simultaneously we were to break in 
the door and rush them. 



THE STORY OF THE SOUTH 435 

While the whole thing had the appearance of a conspiracy, 
and I was inclined to take the bull by the horns and give 

M the agreed signal, I was also suspicious that someone 

might be playing a practical joke on me. While I hesitated, 
M suddenly sneezed! 

I have lived in the Southwest the greater part of my life 
and have been in some pretty tight places, and always have 
prided myself on my ability to take care of myself in an 

emergency; but the next thing I knew after M 's sneeze, 

he was bending over me trying to staunch the blood that was 
flowing from a wound over my right eye, at the same time 
reading the riot act to me in choice language. 

"What happened?" I asked, feebly. 

"Why, the whole darned shooting-match jumped your way, 
walked over you and beat it!" he explained in exasperation. 
"What I've been trying to find out is why in hell you didn't 
shoot?" 

I could not answer in words, but mutely I showed him that 
in my haste I carefully had put on the overalls over my clothes 
with my gun in the usual place in my hip pocket. It would 
have taken me five minutes to get it out. 

"It's a good thing you had it so well hid," he remarked. 
"They might have taken it away from you!" 

We searched the deserted house. Except for the stove it was 
devoid of furniture, and we found nothing in the way of 
a clue. 

We arranged for a strict patrol of the route of the parade. 
Each man was given a "beat." If any man saw anything 
suspicious, and particularly a suspicious package, he was to 
Investigate and report at once. 

The parade was crossing the Houston Street bridge, where 
I happened to be, when I saw a negro man elbowing his way 
to the front of the crowd along the curb. In his right hand, 
held high over the heads of those about him, was a package 
wrapped in newspaper! He seemed in the act of hurling it 
into the street when I sprang forward and grabbed the up- 
raised arm, dragging the negro back to the railing of the 
bridge. 

"What have you got in that package?" I demanded. 

"My Gawd, boss, you'se the fou'th man to ast me about ma 
lunch in the last five minutes. If it's worrying you white 
folks so much, guess I'd better git shet of it!" 

Before I could prevent him, he threw it into the river, and 
turned to view the parade with a muttered opinion on my 
interference with his personal liberties. All we succeeded in 



436 THE WEB 

accomplishing was scaring a poor negro out of his lunch, 
but whether or not we thwarted others' in a worse plot, we 
never knew. 

But that was much our story in San Antonio. We did the 
best we knew. Had we not been there, and were it not known 
that we were there, matters might have been worse. The 
makings of trouble were around us all the time. 

Laredo, Texas, on the Mexican border, was organized for 
business. The Chief says: " We have very few alien 
enemies resident here. Before we organized, there was 
some talk of a disloyal nature, but this situation changed 
at once when it got out that we had seventy-five or eighty 
members whose identity was unknown to the public but who 
would be pretty sure to be out for business. For the six or 
eight months before the Armistice we heard scarcely a word 
unfavorable to the United States or her Allies. We think we 
did something in the way of prevention if not of cure. ' ' 

Yoakum, Texas, has ten eases of disloyalty and a like 
number of word-of-mouth propaganda. A good local chief 
of a fighting family says : ' ' We were ready at all times to 
meet any emergency regardless of distance or difficulty." 

Beaumont, Texas, is in the oil country, and such centers 

quite often attract alien population. The Beaumont report 

covers sixty-three cases of alien enemy activities, eighteen 

Jcases of disloyalty, and ninety cases under the selective 

service regulations. 

ARKANSAS 

Cotter, Arkansas, reports that it is a community with 
very few foreigners, the population being American for 
generations back. The Chief says : ' ' We had two deserters 
who lived for two weeks in an inaccessible camp in the moun- 
tains. They finally got hungry, came in and surrendered. 
We also had one draft-dodging case of a peculiar sort. This 
young man, according to his marriage license, should have 
registered in June, 1917. He did not. We traced him to 
Oklahoma, and from there to Springfield, Missouri. He 
was taken into custody by the Chief of Police at that point 
on our order. We sent a certified copy of his marriage 



THE STORY OF THE SOUTH 437 

license, but he had enough of his relatives on hand to swear 
to his true age, to secure his release." 

Helena, Arkansas, also comes into court with very clean 
hands. Its report shows a membership' of 127, which proved 
to be none too large, as all hands found work to do. Investi- 
gations were handled all over Arkansas, Mississippi and 
Louisiana. 

Fort Smith, Arkansas, found its slacker raids more inter- 
esting than anything else. It conducted two of them, a 
slacker or two being apprehended each time. One stranger, 
who was sufficiently indiscreet as to fail to register, was 
unceremoniously hauled out of bed and turned over to the 
local war board. No alien enemy activities came to the atten- 
tion of this division. 



OKLAHOMA 

The State of Oklahoma does not submit a wealth of mate- 
rial for this history of the A. P. L., and indeed the evidence 
seems to indicate that there was comparatively little material 
to submit. Chickasha, Oklahoma, sends in a little report, 
covering three alien enemy investigations ; four cases of dis- 
loyalty and sedition ; one case of sabotage ; five cases of word- 
of -mouth propaganda; two deserter cases, and seven char- 
acter and loyalty investigations. 

There are numerous reports at hand, which are made in 
the form of figures only, but it is impossible to print these in 
detail. 



CHAPTER IV 

THE STORY OF THE WEST 

Under the caption of The West, we arbitrarily are group- 
ing all of the states lying west of a line running north and 
south from the western borders of the Dakotas to the eastern 
edge of New Mexico. This excludes part of that great region 
long known in America as the Great West, — a country that 
is no more, and never again can be on the face of this earth, 
unless war and pestilence one day shall quite remove our 
present human population. What we retain as the West 
for A. P. L. classification purposes still has some distinct 
characteristics. It still is largely unknown land to Eastern 
citizens, still holds the flavor of a romantic past, as well as 
that of a great and unknown future. 

The region thus set off comprises more than a third of the 
acreage of the United States. It is the most thinly settled 
portion of the United States and, made up as it is in large 
part or arid lands or mountainous regions, no doubt on the 
average it always will remain so. Yet here lie the richest 
remaining forests of America, and no one may know how 
much of additional mineral wealth. Here also, our country 
halts at the shore of the Pacific and looks westward at the 
future. In the march of King Charles, his knights paused 
at Rockfish Gap, and those merry gentlemen carelessly 
claimed possession of all those unknown lands that lay to 
the westward, " as far as the South Sea." Well, we have 
made the crossing of the continent. We are at the South 
Sea now. 

Who and what are we, however, who stand at the edge of 
the Pacific and look westward? Are we Americans? Who 
could call us such? We are not the same Homeric breed 
now that we were when the first rails went west. Taking 
our arbitrary section herein, west of the Dakotas, and 
studying the statistical census map of the United States 
made in 1914 — the first year of the war — we find that 

438 



THE STORY OF THE WEST 439 

the population of Montana is more than fifty percent 
foreign-born, or of foreign-born parentage. The same is 
true of Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, 
California, Oregon and Washington; all have population 
thirty-five to fifty percent foreign of birth or parentage! 
This, in what we have thought was the American West ! 

There is no American West. There is no America. But 
for the Grace of God, we are gone. This is no mere rant. 
Study the census maps yourself — you can have no more 
thrilling, no more fascinating and no more saddening read- 
ing, search how you may. The trouble with most of us 
Americans was that we did not know our America. For 
America, this war is not over. It is just beginning. The 
more we set aside preconceived notions or biased and 
unctuous conclusions based on suppositions and not facts 
for premises, and the more we learn the actual facts regard- 
ing this country's problems to-day, the more we shall be 
obliged to that sobering and wholly distasteful thought that 
America is at the threshhold of her real war. That man 
does not live who can with any color of authority predict 
the end of that irrepressible conflict. No Statue of Liberty 
can avert it ; no jaunty melting pot doctrine can conjure it 
away. 

But the great West, which with the great South remains 
in larger percent American than do the North or the East, 
was zealously on guard throughout this war. Few of our 
far-flung marches but had an A. P. L. outpost of Americans, 
and these were eyes of the same sort that long ago looked 
down the brown barrels of long rifles in the frontier days. 
If we had a frontier now, here it would lie, between the 
Prairies and the Pacific; and the frontier always has been 
loyal. It was loyal in this war. The next great American 
will come from the land of the old Frontier. What, think 
you, will be his message? Will it be of melting-pots? 

COLORADO 

Denver, Colorado, must have a rather thrifty population, 
for there were 140 cases of food hoarding reported from 
that division. Operatives of the League investigated 789 
cases of disloyalty and sedition under the Espionage Act, 



440 THE WEB 

and the division as a whole worked in close cooperation with 
the local draft boards. The Chief says : ' ' We looked into 
the German language situation; also vice, liquor, bootleg- 
ging, and general lawlessness in coal mining camps. We 
investigated the loyalty of many individuals who were under 
consideration for membership in patriotic associations or 
for City or State positions," 

Delta County, Colorado, had one simple and kindly pro- 
German section foreman who left spikes sticking up in the 
wagon road crossing, so that they might possibly destroy 
some American tires. Very thoughtful, but not very dam- 
aging. Apropos of one of the more lurid happenings in 
this division, the Chief says : * ' We got a riot call to a small 
settlement six miles out, and I responded with three details 
of A. P. L. members. We arrived on the scene at 11:00 
p. m. and found thirty armed Americans who were just start- 
ing in to clean up a settlement of eleven German families. 
We quieted things until we could make an investigation, and 
then found that a poison scare was at the root of the trouble. 
A German administered a pint bottle of bluing to one of his 
sick horses. The horse very promptly died. Heated imagi- 
ation did the rest. The A. P. L. certainly prevented blood- 
shed in this instance. 

Maneos, Colorado, gives a pleasant little touch of local 
color: "Just a few days before war was declared with 
Germany, one G. B. B , a resident of Maneos, Colo- 
rado, made some very derogatory remarks to the effect that 
the war, if it was declared, would be a rich man 's war, for 
the benefit of the wealthy class, and that the United States 
had no business in war with Germany; that the American 
flag would soon be dragged in the dust, and by the Germans, 
if war were declared. His wife also stated that the Germans 
had done nothing worse than the soldiers did in our late 
civil war. Many remarks were made showing sympathy with 
the German cause. When the news of the first big victory 
of the Allied armies was received here, an impromptu cele- 
bration was held on the streets of the town, and all of 
doubtful sympathies were asked to mount a box and wave 
an American flag. Some half a dozen did so, and did it 

gracefully and with seeming willingness, but Mr. B 

refused to come out. Later, at another celebration, he was 



THE STORY OF THE WEST 44I 

made to come out and wave the flag, though, he did it with 
bad grace and only upon being strenuously urged to do so. 
He made a long talk trying to tell how loyal he was, but 
he would not submit to waving the flag until really made to 
do so, and then in a very insulting way. He made no more 
violent utterances after the time mentioned." 

Ked Cliff, Colorado, had at least one hectic moment : "On 
October 14, 1918, the County Treasurer's deputy, Mrs. 

F , deliberately tore down the Fourth Liberty Loan 

poster, remarking that ' That has been up there long enough ; 
it has almost ruined our flowers in the window.' It was 

developed that our County Treasurer, Mr. C , was a 

hoarder of food, and the local Food Administrator arrested 
him and fined him $25 for the benefit of the Red Cross. 
The County Treasurer called me into his ofiice, caught me 
by the throat and tried to scare me, saying : ' I understand 
you are showing a paper around here trying to ruin my 
character; that you are saying that I am a dirty slacker. 
Aren't you ashamed of yourself to circulate such dirty lies 
about me? ' Then the fun began. I struck him and told 
him that if he was guilty of hoarding 2,000 pounds of flour 
in his brother's attic, he certainly was a dirty, low-down 
slacker and traitor. He weighs about 225 pounds ; I weigh 
143. He threw me down and sat on me for fifteen minutes, 
trying to make me apologize. I didn't, and never will for 
any man of pro-German type." 

For a man weighing only 143 pounds, the Red Cliff chief 
seems to have been active. He sent back three Canadian 
subjects and caused a decided change of heart in a pro- 
German who was the son-in-law of a local banker. The 
suspect got wind of the fact that he was being investigated, 
and his conversion was very prompt, he making no attempt 
to sit down on the local Chief. 

Prowers County, Colorado, investigated fifty cases of 
mouth-to-mouth propaganda, a notable case in its annals 
being that of a German Lutheran minister who refused to 
answer the question as to which side he wished to win the 
war. It did not take him long, however, to realize that he 
had made a blunder. He asked for time. The next day he 
declared very promptly that he wanted the United States 
to win. He was instructed to prove this by preaching and 



442 THE WEB 

praying it in private as well as in public, which he agreed 
to do. 

MONTANA 

BiUings, Montana, organized its A, P. L. division only 
three months before the signing of the Armistice. The Chief 
says: " It was a privilege to serve. We are grateful for 
the opportunity that came to us. Our field was small, and 
our time of service was short, but, if we contributed in some 
small way to the success of the League 's work, we feel amply 
repaid." 

Red Lodge, Montana, is a coal mining town with a con- 
siderable foreign element, so it early organized a '* Liberty 
Committee " of two hundred citizens. This committee 
worked in with the A, P. L. The fact that a division of the 
latter body was organized was not definitely known, but the 
belief got out that the Government had a secret agency 
working at Eed Lodge and that it was in working order; 
" which it was," says the Chief. 

NEW MEXICO 

An instance of shrewd detective work comes from Albu- 
querque, New Mexico, whose Chief reports : 

We received a copy of a letter mailed from this point 
several months previous, illegibly signed, but clearly ad- 
dressed to a man named H^ in Holland. The letter, 

intercepted by censors, contained disloyal statements about 
Liberty Bonds, and referred to " our bank." We assumed 
from this that the writer of this letter was a banker. The 
use of blank paper instead of a business letterhead sug- 
gested that he was a transient. Albuquerque being quite a 
health resort, we surmised that the banker was probably a 
well-to-do health seeker. Accordingly, we combed the higher 
class resorts frequented by visitors of this type. Going 
through the list of patrons at one of these places, we found 

the name of A. H , resident of an Arkansas town. By 

referring to the bank directory, we discovered that this man 
was a director and officer in the bank at that town. We sent 
this information to the National Directors in Washington. 



THE STORY OF THE WEST 443 

It was sufficient. The investigation of the whole case con- 
sumed thirty minutes. We admit it was a little different 
from the usual routine that we usually had to follow. 

UTAH 

Green River, Utah, had a couple of cases which made some 

trouble. One was that of William F. A , and Callie 

A , his wife. Evidence was secured showing that this 

man was not a citizen, although he had voted as such. It 
was alleged that he was handling high explosives in viola- 
tion of the law and that he expressed disloyal sentiments. 
Military Intelligence in Salt Lake confiscated the arms and 

ammunition, and had A registered as a German alien 

enemy. His wife was very bitter in her denunciation of the 
United States and the Red Cross. The son of the two was 
charged with being a draft evader. Another man, James 

H , was alleged never to have registered for the draft, 

although within the age limit. He was arrested, admitted 
his guilt, and was turned over to the County Board. 

Hiawatha, Utah, seems to have been for the most part 
quiet during the war. This division says: " Due to the 
loyal spirit of our people, our report is short. We are in a 
thinly settled locality. We got only one fine imposed, a 
.violator of the food regulations, who pleaded guilty." 

Richfield, Utah, is a farming community off the railroad, 
having no large labor organizations to make trouble. The 
Chief says: " A few pro-Germans were quietly warned, 
and that was all that was necessary. All our members were 
organized and watchful, and there was not much to do. Any 
service we could render we gladly gave. ' ' 

Santaquin, Utah, sends the best and most satisfactory 
kind of a report: '' I am proud to state that this little 
town has been loyal to the core. We have not found a single 
slacker or disloyal case. Investigated one or two cases of 
men asking for military service and found them 0. K. In 
all the drives for bonds and thrift stamps, we have ' gone 
over the top,' and we hope to continue with the same good 
spirit and loyalty." 

Moab, Utah, has a local chief of a calm turn of mind. He 
says that most of the talk he heard was just that of some 



444 THE WEB 

ignorant people who didn 't know the difference between war 
and peace times. The Chief adds that he saw only three or 
four parties who refused to buy bonds. ' ' I had a talk with 
them, and they bought willingly, ' ' he adds ! 

From Fillmore, Utah, the Chief reports : ' ' Not much to 
do in this out-of-the-way place. We watched every person 
who came into town. No telling when we might not have 
been of service in apprehending some person badly needed. ' ' 

Smithfield, Utah, reports : ' ' We had only twelve in our 
organization. Our community is only two thousand — a 
farming community of good quiet citizens. We support the 
constitution ; over-subscribed for Liberty Bonds, Red Cross, 
and War Savings Stamps. If you realize what a rural 
community like this is, you know there is not much to do. 
We have done what we could with the local boards in draft 
matters." 



ARIZONA 

Tucson, Arizona, is the land of sunshine and appears to 
have been very peaceful. The Chief reports that there were 
plenty of war activities going on all the time, but none of 
these were of a nefarious sort. There apparently was noth- 
ing wild or woolly about an A. P. L. job in Tucson during 
war times. 

Cochise County, Arizona, was once somewhat famous for 
loading up a railroad train with undesirable citizens and 
then telling the engineer to steam ahead. None the less, this 
last year or so Cochise has had absolute peace and quiet. 
Ever so often, of course, a dissatisfied citizen would go over 
to Mexico, subsist on red beans for a while, and then try to 
get back. He would usually find the getting back a trifle 
more difficult than the going over. About 1,000 investiga- 
tions were made, most of them referred to the Department 
of Justice at Bisbee and Douglas. About forty-five or fifty 
men of the live-wire type did the work. There was always 
an element of danger present, though nothing ever broke. 

Naco is directly on the border between Mexico and the 
United States. Douglas, not far distanet, is a busy town of 
which smelting is the big industry. The historic town of 
Tombstone is the county seat. Bisbee is one of the largest 



THE STORY OF THE WEST 445 

copper camps in the world. There were good men and true 
with the A, P. L. in all of these towns, and they did fine, 
loyal service for the flag. 

WYOMING 

An artless report comes from Weston County, Wyoming: 
" We had a number of people here who were pro-German, 
but all such cases were quieted with a little assistance. 
One man said that he was in hopes that he could eat another 
good meal in his own country, Germany. When he got 
through talking to all the people who waited upon him, he 
went home and committed suicide. ' ' 

Moran, Wyoming, is hardly a place where you would look 
for a Russian countess. None the less, Moran contained one 
for a while, and A. P. L. found her there and made certain 
investigations. One I. W. W. leader was also discovered 
by alert operatives. 

Sundance, Wyoming, is in the short grass country, and 
reports but little German activity. Most of the work of this 
division had to do with draft board matters. The ranch 
country of the west was in a very large measure strictly 
loyal, as the reports show. 

IDAHO 

Idaho Falls, Idaho, had one case which again shows the 
pronounced anti-Americanism of the German Lutheran 
church in America during the war. C. C. M , a minis- 
ter of this denomination located at Blackfoot, Idaho, applied 
for the position of chaplain in the United States Army. The 
local chief of the A. P. L. investigated him and found him 
to be violently pro-German. It was known that he had 
threatened to blow up the town of Blackfoot with dynamite, 
and had also made threats to poison the source of the water 
supply of the town. Did Rev. Mr. M — get his chap- 
laincy? He did not. A local applicant for the position of 
Captain in the United States Army, as Inspector of Arms, 
was also investigated, and was turned down on account of 
his strong pro-German tendencies. 

Almo, Idaho, reports: " Our locality is wholly a stock 



446 THE WEB 

raising section and is sparsely settled, so there has been no 
disloyalty or trouble whatsoever. There is nothing to report 
except that the people of this section are absolutely O. K. 
in their loyalty to Uncle Sam," 

CALIFORNIA V 

Long Beach, California, sends in a two-page report which 
is entirely too modest, because it covers 8,590 investigations. 
Out of this number, ninety were held in the Federal courts. 
Twenty were convicted, and three were found not guilty. 
Forty slackers and deserters were arrested, and three alien 
enemies, who were taken in the shipyards, were interned. 
Some 3,000 persons who had made indiscreet remarks against 
the country were warned to good effect. 

In the Long Beach district were four shipbuilding plants. 
It was learned that several I. W. W. 's were numbered among 
the employees. They were taken from the shpyards for 
cause. The Long Beach chief was reluctant to disband, and 
when the time came to do so, he made arrangements by which 
the division will be held as a sort of reserve, " If at any 
future time you need our assistance," says the Chief, " you 
will find us waiting." 

Oakland, California, looked into the color of the hair and 
eyes of 387 persons under the heading of disloyalty and 
sedition. There were 356 investigations under the draft act. 
Oakland Division dealt out its punishments to the enemy 
drastically. Seventeen well-known local Germans, business 
and professional men, drank a toast to the Kaiser in the 
Faust Cafe, a German restaurant. The A. P. L, got the 
necessary evidence, and ten of these men were convicted of 
disloyalty. The court put the punishment at three months 
in the chain gang, and a fine of $250 each._ They do not 
now know any such phrase as ' ' Hoch der Kaiser, ' ' 

Crescent City, California, had at least one high light. 
The Chief reports that an enemy alien, a baker, learned in 
some way that his loyalty had been questioned, and imme- 
diately started to gather all the rifles and pistols that he 
could, declaring that with a dozen guns he could hold the 
whole town at bay. Officers searched his place of business 
during his absence, and found several of the guns loaded. 



THE STORY OF THE WEST 447 

The man claimed to be a naturalized citizen, but could not 
show his papers. Bis case was cared for. 

OREGON 

u. 

The far Northwest bordering on the sea caught flotsam 
and jetsam, caught problems, as seaboard regions always 
have and always will. The city of Portland, Oregon, shares 
in these matters, though it is old, settled, and much disposed 
to quiet. Portland's main concern in life is the growing of 
roses; but early in the war Portland had already thrown 
away her rose-growers' club and set her hand to the ax 
rather than to the garden trowel. As a city, it is a good 
place for roses, but a poor place for alien enemies. 

A certain man of many aliases, whom we may indicate 

as D , was arrested for being found within half a 

mile of the Armory without an enemy permit. He was 
found to be the owner of a great deal of I. W. W. literature. 
Investigation proved him to be a man of vitrolic temper, and 
one possessed of considerable means. He was very well 
investigated and jolly well interned. 

A man by the name of F was arrested as a German 

alien, traveling without a pass. Very naturally, he claimed 
to be a Swiss, as do all German waiters. Investigation of 
his case proved he was in the habit of signing as a sea- 
man, on ships about to sail, and then refusing to go on board 
at sailing time. His peculiar conduct got him in wrong with 
the Sailors' Union. A close examination developed that he 
was a former German naval officer, and pictures of him were 
found in the German uniform. He was interned as a dan- 
gerous alien. 

If Portland's A., P. L. could not get a man one way, there 

were alv/ays other ways available. One J. B— , placed 

under suspicion by the angry accusation of a woman whom 
he claimed to be his wife, was discovered to be a draft 
evader from Chicago. It was found also that he had a 
real wife living in Oklahoma. The pretending wife forged 
the wife's name to the man's questionnaire, thus securing 
for him a deferred classification. He was indicted for viola- 
tion of the Mann Act and Conscription Act, and got eleven 
months in jail. 



448 THE WEB 

The first slacker convicted and sentenced for violation of 

the Conscription Act in the State of Oregon was C. B 

of Portland, who was discovered to have failed to register. 
He was arrested the 10th of July, 1917, tried and convicted 
and served thereafter as an example. 

The hundreds of eases in Portland were of much the same 
sort as those arising in other cities. The law of averages 
held good. Once in a while a man was reformed, and once 

in a while a flivver was found. B. B , of California, 

registered at Fairfield, California, June 5, 1918, was posted 
as a deserter and arrested by an operative of the A. P. L. 
at Portland, Oregon. He was of Swedish descent, and the 
hearing of his case developed that many of his friends had 
told him that he could get out of the Army by claiming 
exemption as an alien subject to deportatioii. It was ex- 
plained to him that if he went back to Sweden under depor- 
tation, he could never again return to the U. S. as a citizen. 
This cleared up his mind distinctly, and he resolved to go 
into the Army and will probably make a good citizen. 

Canyon City, Oregon, says : ' ' We had one man who was 
constantly spilling over in favor of Germany. Our mem- 
bers took him over the jumps and made him subside. He 
could have been convicted, but neighbors promised to be 
responsible for him, and they kept their word. Our people 
as a whole were very loyal, and we had only a small number 
of cases to handle." 

WASHINGTON 

Yakima, Washington, tabulates its activities as 93 cases 
of disloyalty and sedition, ten cases of word-of-mouth 
propaganda and sixteen I. W. W. cases, besides the usual 
routine work. 

Snohomish, Washington, sends in a report indicative of 
an unexpected amount of activity. There were 302 cases 
of disloyalty and sedition, nineteen of sabotage, twenty-four 
of anti-military activity, fifteen of propaganda, as well as 
116 cases under the selective service regulations, and 124 
under the '' work or fight " order. The Chief closes his 
modest summary with the statement that the work was 
largely connected with I. W. W, and Socialistic activities 
such as were noted in the Northwest during the war. He 



THE STORY OF THE WEST 449 

says : ' ' We had the state secretary of the Socialists in the 
penitentiary. Many I. W. W.'s were jailed, and many more 
were inducted into the Army. Some of the latter tribe have 
been court-martialed since entering the Army. " As it were, 
and so to speak, Atta Boy ! ., 

ALASKA 

And now let us give, as the very last tribute of The Four 
Winds, the report of a town which may seem a long way 
from home to many readers, but which, out of all the many 
hereinbefore mentioned, will show best of all the far-flung 
activities of the American Protective League. This report 
comes from Anchorage, Alaska. Leopold David is Chief 
at this far off station, and every word that he has written 
shall go to the readers of the League : 

Members of the League have been active in Red Cross work 
here, in food conservation, and in the sale of Liberty Bonds 
and War Savings Stamps. From the moment the Anchorage 
branch was first organized, I impressed upon the members the 
necessity of counter-propaganda to refute any insinuations 
or charges that they might hear against the causes leading 
the U. S. into war, and the conduct thereof. Everything in 
connection therewith which was derogatory to the interests 
of the U. S. was immediately traced to its source, if possible, 
and the false impression corrected. We have a large foreign 
element here employed in railroad construction, and members 
of the League made it a point in their trips up and down the 
line to explain the reasons for all restrictions. 

When a strike was threatened on the Government railroad 
last year, members of the League explained to the men the 
necessity of staying at work until their case could be decided, 
so as not to interfere with the development of the coal fields 
to which the road was being built, as coal was a war necessity. 
I believe that such action by the League was in large measure 
responsible for avoiding a strike. 

Members of the League were on all committees in connec- 
tion with war work activities, as well as on the Territorial 
Council of Defense, of which the Chief of the Anchorage 
branch acted as Chairman. During the time the League was 
organized, every member did his best for the interests of the 
country, and no need arose for disciplining any member. The 



450 THE WEB 

work of the League was carried on in such an unostentatious 
manner that very few people knew of its existence except 
the members. 

It has a safe and significant sound — the A. P. L. at 
Anchorage. Not a large place, indeed, but there were seven 
cases of alien enemy activity, twenty-eight of disloyalty and 
sedition, five of anti-military activities and thirty-two of 
propaganda, beside two I. W. W. investigations. Anchorage 
seems to have been uncertain whether to work or fight in 
some instances ; 206 cases came up of this sort. In addition 
to these, 143 draft cases came before the local boards, as 
well as 62 slacker cases. Twenty-two cases under the head 
of liquor, vice and prostitution were disposed of. The Food 
Administration had only four cases. It is gratifying to note 
that every head and sub-head of the report is filled out con- 
scientiously and carefully. 

We may now cease the reading of further reports from 
the four points of the compass in America, and rest with 
this one from Anchorage, submitting once more the convic- 
tion that these many varying reports, covering multifold 
lines of investigation, make the best and truest reflex of 
America ever gotten together in printed form. The reading 
and summarizing of the reports made an extraordinary 
experience, such as can hardly have come to many indi- 
viduals, probably to none outside of the Department of 
Justice; and it is not known whether a similar enterprise 
ever has been undertaken even in that great office. By no 
means is it to be supposed that all the reports sent in have 
been mentioned in these pages — only a small fraction have 
had even the briefest mention. Many hundreds remain 
unnamed in public as do hundreds of thousands of men who 
made them up, not asking recognition for their work. It 
would be cheap to thank such men, or to apologize to them. 
In A. P. L., each of us has done the best he knew. For that, 
there is higher and better approval than that of any printed 
page. 



BOOK IV 

AMERICA 



" IN FLANDERS FIELDS " 

Challenge of the Dead in Battlb 

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow 
Between the crosses, row on row, 
That mark our place; and in the sky 
That larks stiU bravely singing fly. 
Scarce heard amid the guns below. 
We are the dead. Short days ago 
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow. 
Loved and were loved, and now we lie 
In Flanders Fields. 

Take up our quarrel with the foe ! 
To you from falling hands we throw 
The Torch — be yours to hold it high 1 
If ye break faith with us who die. 
We shall not sleep though poppies grow 
In Flanders Fields. 

— Col. John McCras. 



From the volume " In Flanders Fields," copyright, 1919, by G. P. 
Putnam's Sons. Printed by permission. 



CHAPTER I 

THE RECKONING 

Our Duty to the Soldier — Our Lasting Quarrel With the 
Foe — The Story of the Census — No More Traitors — 
Shutting the Gates Against the Huns — The New Patri- 
otism for All Americans. 

Vox populi, vox dei is a fine phrase. But fine phrases 
often half-state or mis-state facts for sake of the half -idea's 
sound. Many popular conceptions are wide of the truth. 

The world had come to call the French people light, fickle, 
inconstant, volatile, incapable of grave and deep emotions. 
That was the popular American idea of France up to 1914. 
The man who would voice that idea now would be treated 
with anger or silent contempt by all the world. Now we 
know the silent, modest, simple, enduring faith, the un- 
faltering courage, the undying flame of heart which made 
the real France. 

We thought Great Britain cold, phlegmatic, emotionless. 
"Who would say that to-day of a brave and strong people 
trying their best to ask us not to mention their battles 
against odds, their steadfast courage in holding the line, 
but to feel and understand the real admiration and love 
Britain really feels for us in these days. 

We Americans thought ourselves above fickleness and 
lightness always, boasted always of our common sense and 
steady practical poini of view. We called France hysterical. 
Was it so ? No. Once again popular counsel is wrong. It is 
we Americans who are the most hysterical people in the 
world. We make a purpose and forget it. We erect a hero 
and forget him. We believe, boast, acclaim, hurrah — and 
forget. We are easily excited — it is we who most easily grow 
' ' high headed, ' ' as the French say. It is we, of all nations, 
who most quickly forget. 

In that fact regarding the American character lies the 

453 



454 THE WEB 

great hope of Germany to-day. It is the great fear of our 
gallant friends in arms, who held the line from which we so 
long were absent. It is the great danger of America. Lest 
we forget ! Lest we forget ! The danger is that we shall for- 
get. And if we do, the great victory of this war is lost. 

Our Army is turned back toward home again. We greet 
our soldiers with much blare of trumpets. We mention large 
plans of industry for to-morrow. We slap each man in 
uniform on the back and say : ' ' Fine ! Noble ! You are a 
hero ! You have saved the world ! ' ' 

But to-morrow — To-morrow ! And once more, what of 
to-morrow ! 

The soldier comes back to his old world shyly glad that 
he still lives, hoping for the renewed touch of hands he 
knew, seeking the place in life that once was his. But, in spite 
of our protestations, that place is no longer his. It is as 
though he really were dead. The waters have closed over 
his place and he is no more. To-morrow he is forgotten — 
and he may listen to stay-at-home stories of how the war 
was fought and won — the ' ' history ' ' of this war, which, 
like all other history, will not be the truth but what we all 
accept as the truth because that is the easiest thing to do. 

But if the soldiers of this country are to come back only 
to the old America, the hurrying, scrambling, hectic, hys- 
terical America — and those are our deserved adjectives 
more than any other people 's — then we have not won this 
war but have lost it. 

Our quarrel with yonder foe is not done. We shall have 
been faithless to our own blood and kin if now we forget. 
The war begins now ; not ends. It must yet be fought out 
here at home in America. It will require all our courage to 
win it ; if indeed it can still be won. 

There have been some great editorials struck off in the 
white heat of American conviction in these tremendous days 
following the Armistice and before the conclusion of the 
Peace Conference. Here is one from a Chicago journal 
which ought to be read and remembered by every statesman 
and every citizen in America. 

Those sentimental souls who think Lloyd George and Clemen- 
ceau are "too severe" in insisting that Germany must pay to 



THE RECKONING 455 

the limit of her capacity for the damage she has wrought, 
should consider the speech in which Herr Ebert, temporary 
dictator in Berlin, welcomed the returning Prussian troops, 
especially the following paragraph of that speech: 

You protected the Jiomeland from invasion, sheltered your 
wives, children and parents from flames and slaughter and 
preserved the nation's workshops and fields from devastation. 

This to the soldiers whose bestiality has made the very name 
of Prussia a stench in the nostrils of a decent world. 

There is not in Ebert's speech a hint of repentance for the 
atrocious crimes which Germany has committed. There is no 
recognition that Germany has committed crimes. Instead, 
there is a boasting glorification of the returning armies, and 
a reminder to the nation that German lands have been kept 
inviolate. It is one in sentiment with the kaiser's speech six 
months or so ago, in which he commanded his subjects who 
complained of their sacrifices to look at the devastated fields 
and cities of France, and see what war on their own ground 
would mean. 

The victorious allies are civilized. Therefore, they can not 
repay German crimes in kind. They can not reduce Frankfort 
to the present condition of Lens, or desolate the Rheingau 
as von Hindenburg desolated Picardy. But in some way, they 
must bring home to the German people both the villainy and 
the failure of the German spring at the throat of Europe, and 
there seem to be but two methods of doing this. One is to 
inflict personal punishment on the men responsible for the 
grosser outrages, and the other is to make the German people 
pay, and pay, and pay for the ruin which they wrought. 

Germany is not dead or defeated in America. She will 
raise lier head again. Again we shall hear the stirring in 
the leaves, and see arise once more the fanged front which 
has so long menaced the world. The time to scotch that 
snake is now, to-day ; and this is no time, when our maimed 
men are coming home, when our young boys are growing up, 
to be faithless to those men who — their eyes still on us as 
they fling to us the torch of civilization — lie not yet content 
nor quiet in Flanders Fields. 

The great debt of the world is by no means yet paid. 
Whether or not Germany pays to the material limit, is not 
so much. Whether or not we get back a tenth of our war 
money, is not so much — that is not the way the great debt 
of the world is going to be paid. We cannot pay it by 



456 THE WEB 

oratory or by fine phrases, or by resolutions and conferences 
and leagues of nations. We cannot pay it with eulogies of 
the dead nor monuments to the living heroes. We cannot 
pay it by advancing our breasts again against shot and shell. 

The debt of the world must be paid by America. We 
can pay it only by making a new and better democracy in 
America. We can pay it only by renewed individual sacri- 
fices and a renewed individual courage. 

We must remake America. We must purify the source of 
America's population and keep it pure. We must rebuild 
our whole theory of citizenship in America. We must care 
more for the safety of America's homes and the safety of 
the American ideal. We must insist that there shall be an 
American loyalty, brooking no amendment or qualification. 

That is to say, we must unify the American populace — 
or we must fail; and the great debt of the world must re- 
main unpaid ; and the war must have been fought in vain. 

The old polyglot, hubbub, hurdy-gurdy days of America 
are gone. We are no longer a mining camp, but a country, 
or should b^e that. Happy-go-lucky times are done for us. 
We must become a nation, mature, of one purpose, re- 
solved at heart. Now we shall see how brave we really 
are, how much men we are. 

What is America to-day? What undiscovered soul was 
there lying under the paint and the "high heels and the 
tambourine and the bubbling glass in the fool's paradise of 
our excited lives? What was there of sober and resolved 
citizenship under the American Protective League — a force 
so soon developed, so silently disbanded? Very much was 
there. All that a nation needs was there — if that nation 
shall not forget. 

It is one thing if a quarter million men go back to business 
and forget their two years of sacrifice; if three million 
soldiers also forget their sacrifices and simply drop back into 
the old business world which they left. But it is quite an- 
other thing if three and a quarter million American citizens, 
sobered and not forgetful, do take up the flung torch and 
say that the dead of Flanders shall rest content — not 
merely for a day or so remembered — not merely for a year 
or two revenged, but for all the centuries verified and made 
of worth and justified in their sacrifices. 



THE RECKONING 457 

A part, only a small part, of the work of the American 
Protective League is done. We who silently pass back yet 
further beyond recognition, are not disbanded at all. The 
flung torch is especially in our own hands. We have been 
only pretenders in this League, we have been only mummers 
and imposters in this League, if we do not individually carry 
on the work for the future. That work, as we take it, is to 
make America safe for Americans, and to leave each man 
safe in his own home, in a country of his own making, at a 
table of his own choosing. 

When work on this book was first begun, it seemed to all 
concerned that the great matter was to accumulate instances 
of shrewdness in catching criminals; stories of plots foiled 
and villains thwarted. We all of us wanted to see stalk by 
with folded arms a tall, dark, mysterious stranger in a long 
cloak, with high boots, and a wide hat pulled low over his 
brow. We wanted him, in the final act, to pull off his hat 
with the sweeping gesture of one hand, his false moustache 
with the other, and stand revealed before us, smooth-faced 
and fair of hair, exclaiming " It is I — Clarence Hawkshaw, 
the young detective ! ' ' We shared the American thirst for 
something exciting. 

It became obvious, as the great masses of sober, conscien- 
tious revelations from the very heart of America came roll- 
ing in and piling up in cumulative testimony, that what had 
at first seemed the most desirable material was the least 
desirable. If this record is to have any ultimate value — 
and it should have great historical value — ^that must be, 
not because of a few flashy deeds, but because of a great, 
sober, underlying purpose. Our final figure of the A. P. L. 
man is not to be a Hawkshaw, but — an American. 

When the time came to call a halt and to disband, there 
was not a member of the League who did not lay down his 
work sober and grave of heart. The sum of the reaction of 
all these reports, large and small, from the hundreds of 
centers where the League was active, leaves any man ac- 
quainted with the facts convinced that America has done 
her part splendidly, here at home, in the war. It is splen- 
did — what America has done. Far more splendid, what 
America is. Still more splendid, what America is to be. 

The best reading for any American in these days is the 



458 THE WEB 

•census map of the United States. Next year we shall have 
a new one, for by then, ten years more of our history will 
have been completed. The census map comes out once every 
decade, printed in different colors, showing the location of 
the foreign-born in the United States. The American-born 
regions have appeared in steadily lessening areas as the 
decades have passed. 

'It is only with a grave heart that any real American can 
face the census map to-day. The conviction is inevitable 
that we have been too long careless of our racial problems. 
If we are to have an America now, we must change. Our 
golden age of money-making is not a double decade in extent. 
We cannot go that road another twenty years. If your son 
is meant to be an American, have him study the census map 
and the story of the A. P. L. Then he will learn something 
about his own country. He has not known. His father has 
not known. 

The English came early in our history and the Scotch- 
Irish, the finest of frontier stock. The Pennsylvania Dutch 
came and built homes. Then came the Irish, facile and quick 
to blend. Our immigration before the Civil War was north- 
European — sturdy stock, fit for the forests and prairies 
and the vast new farm lands of the West. Now we began to 
mine and manufacture more, and our immigrants changed 
the colors of the census map. We began to import work 
cattle, not citizens, for our so-called industrial captains. 
Steamship companies combed southern and southeastern 
Europe. Our miners could not speak English. The Irish- 
man worked no more on the railroads, the sewers, the 
streets — he shrank from the squat foreigner as the lean 
Yankee shrank from him — as the Italian, in turn, will 
shrink from the Russian bolshevist, if we allow Kim to 
swarm in. 

The map shows you all these things inexorably. It shows 
the shrinking of the American-born regions to-day to only 
a small spot on the tops of the Cumberlands in Kentucky, 
Tennessee, North Carolina and a corner of Alabama and 
Georgia. Now check up this rough census outline with the 
reports printed in these pages from all over America. We 
soberly must conclude that America is not America. We 
find that the great states of each coast are practically 



THE RECKONING f' 459 

foreign — New York most of all ; that the Bolsheviki abound 
in the mines of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Montana, where 
coal and copper and iron are found ; that Southern Europe 
has not yet moved its center of population west of the Mis- 
sissippi; that the Scandinavian and German element occu- 
pies Wisconsin, Minnesota and parts of upper Iowa. And 
the American — where is he ? 

Would to God that the chameleon record, that fatally 
accurate census map, could show us the American hue 
spreading decade after decade, and not these other colors of 
the map of America, showing the extension of the foreign- 
born ! It is time now, old as we are, that we should seek a 
far more normal balance of the increase of our foreign-born. 

Something is wrong. The census map shows that it is 
time to put up the bars at Ellis Island. They ought to go 
up for ten years at least. Twenty — thirty — lo! Then 
this would be America, and all inside our gates would be 
Americans. The gates ought never to go down as they have 
in the past. We ought to pick and select our foreign-born 
population. If we have not the courage to do that, we 
are lost. 

Give us a generation of selected immigration ; deport the 
un- Americans who divide their loyalty; revoke the naturali- 
zation of every man interned in this war and of every other 
disloyal man, — every adherent to the law of violence and 
destruction, — and then, and then only, the result may be 
an American population and a real America. 

The best possible news for America would be that of the 
deportation of more than 300,000 false and foresworn citi- 
zens who have acted as German spies in America during 
this war. Send that many away from America, and those 
remaining soon would learn that the hyphen must go for 
all time. If not, let them also go. We do not need Germans 
now. The world is done with Germans. We want Amer- 
icans now. 

It is by no means impossible that some such action will 
be taken very soon. In his last annual report, the Attorney 
General of the United States recommends that all aliens 
who were interned during the war should be deported and 
that Congress shall pass a law to that effect. This would 
deprive us at once of a select society, estimated to number 



460 THE WEB 

from 3,000 to 6,000, who have been taking their ease in 
their inn at our expense. Banded or disbanded, when the 
American Protective League says that law must be passed, 
it will be passed. And then we shall begin to have an 
America and not a mining camp with open doors. Hunt out 
Americans for your leaders. Vote for them. Where have 
we ever found better leaders? 

The Department of Justice officials are on record to the 
effect that these interned aliens should not be left in this 
country to make future trouble and to serve actively as 
German agents. They were often trained propagandists; 
men involved in bomb plots; men who plotted against our 
shipping, against the transportation of our troops. We 
have no law by which we can punish those men further. 
Are they good citizens to retain? Our Department of Jus- 
tice thinks not. 

Among these interned prisoners are bank presidents, ex- 
porters and importers, college professors, merchants, musi- 
cians, actors, former officers of the German army and nscvy 
and merchant marine. Many of the names which nave ap- 
peared in the testimony of the Senate Overman Committee 
appear also on the internment rolls. There are consuls, 
officials and noblemen, so-called, who also have been in our 
internment camps. Do we want them in our homes? The 
Department of Justice thinks otherwise. 

Not less disloyal than these greater figures are thousands 
and hundreds of thousands of minor figures, paid or unpaid 
propagandists of Germany in this country during the war, 
pro-Germans, hyphenates, silent or outspoken, who are not 
Americans at all. Do we want them in our citizenship? If 
we cannot get rid of them, ought we to import any more 
of them? 

Already Americans stir uneasily under the revelations of 
treachery within our gates. They ask of themselves, — Since 
these things were true but now, what guarantee have we for 
the future? How can America protect herself against the 
future treachery of so large an element of her population? 

The answer to that question is very easy for bold men. 
Let us clean house. If the existing broom is not sufficient 
for that, let us make another broom. The revocation of 
citizenship for acts of disloyalty to this country is a reme- 



THE RECKONING 461 

dial agency wMcli will be applied more frequently in the 
future. A law should be, and probably will be, placed upon 
our statute books which will hold over tl\e head of every 
foreign-born citizen attaining citizenship in this country a 
warning that he must come into this court with clean hands 
and must keep his hands clean forever thereafter. That is 
to say, there shall be no more an absolute patent of citizen- 
ship, nothing irrevocable any more in the citizenship of the 
foreign-born. We will hold a first mortgage — we will give 
him no deed. Four years ago, doctrine like this would have 
been scouted. Four years hence it will be accepted, perhaps, 
as the truth; indeed, the tendency has already begun. In 
eight years it will be a law. In twenty years, America will 
be a nation, and the strongest on the globe. 

In New Jersey, Frederick "Wiirsterbarth, who had a cer- 
tificate of American citizenship, perjured himself and re- 
mained true to his foreign birth. He declared he would do 
nothing to help defeat Germany, and had no desire to see 
America win. He would not contribute to the Red Cross or 
to the Y. M. C. A. He added the old hyphenated plea that 
to support the war against Germany would be like kicking 
his mother in the face. The Federal courts canceled the cer- 
tificate of citizenship of Wiirsterbarth. In the New Jersey 
case, the judge said of Wiirsterbarth: " Before he could 
be admitted to citizenship, he must declare under oath that 
he would support the Constitution of the United States and 
entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to 
any foreign sovereignty. Public policy requires that no one 
shall be naturalized except he exercise the utmost good faith 
in all the essentials required of him ; and where the govern- 
ment is shown that good faith in any of the essentials is 
questionable, the burden must be on the respondent to dispel 
that doubt." 

In addition to the statute which shall make false citizen- 
ship papers revocable, little doubt exists that we also shall 
have a law requiring the immediate deportation of any for- 
eigner who has failed to take out his second naturalization 
papers within the prescribed time. The A. P. L. investiga- 
tions during this war uncovered countless cases of these 
pseudo-citizens. Of what use can any Monroe doctrine be 
to America if it is our constant practice to nullify that 



462 THE WEB 

doctrine and stultify ourselves by allowing practical coloni- 
zation? And if you do not believe that we have foreign 
colonies, study your census map and the history of the 
American Protective League. 

Is it bitter, such a belief? You think we still need the 
German language in the United States? One hundred and 
forty-two Illinois schools eliminated the study of German 
from their curriculums during the last year, while twenty 
schools reduced the courses offered in that subject. Ninety- 
six schools introduced the study of French for the first time 
and twenty-one schools added it to their curriculum in that 
one state. 

You still think this is rabid? Read from the report of 
the Secretary of the Interior of the United States. 

There is even a larger problem than this that challenges 
our attention, and that is the teaching of the English tongue 
to millions of our population. Dr. John H. Finley, president 
of the University of the State of New York, in a recent speech 
presented this picture which he found in one of the canton- 
ments: 

"How practical is the need of a language in this country 
common to all tongues is illustrated by what I saw in one of 
the great cantonments a few nights ago. In the mess hall, 
where I had sat an hour before with a company of the men 
of the National Army, a few small groups were gathered along 
the tables learning English under the tuition of some of their 
comrades, one of whom had been a district supervisor in a 
neighboring State and another a theological student. In one 
of those groups, one of the exercises for the evening consisted 
in practicing the challenge when on sentry duty. Each pupil 
of the group (there were four of Italian and two of Slavic 
birth) shouldered in turn the long-handled stove shovel and 
aimed it at the teacher, who ran along the side of the room, 
as if to evade the guard. The pupil called out in broken 
speech, 'Halt! who goes there?' The answer came from the 
teacher, 'Friend.' And then, in as yet unintelligible English 
(the voices of innumerable ancestors struggling in their 
throats to pronounce it), the words 'Advance and give the 
countersign.' So are those of confused tongues learning to 
speak the language of the land they have been summoned to 
defend. What a commentary upon our educational shortcom- 
ings that in the days of peace we had not taught these men, 
who have been here long enough to be citizens (and tens of 



THE RECKONING 463 

thousands of their brothers with them) , to know the language 
in which our history and laws are written and in which the 
commands of defense must now be given! May the end of this 
decade, though so near, find every citizen of our State prepared 
to challenge, in one tongue and heart, the purposes of all who 
come, with the cry, 'Who goes there?' " 

Who are you, new man at Ellis Island? Are you a de- 
mobilized German soldier looking for easy money in Amer- 
4ea4 Let us see your hands. Qui vive! Advance, and give 
the countersign ! And don 't let it be in German. 

What all the world is fearing to-day is the growth of 
Bolshevism. It has ruined Russia — and we must pay for 
that; it is blocking the peace parliaments in Germany — 
and we must pay for that. It is beginning in America and 
may grow swiftly in the turbulent days after the war — and 
we shall have to pay for that. Nobody knows what the 
Bolshevist is nor what are the tenets of Bolshevism — least of 
all the Bolshevists themselves. They have recruited their 
ranks from the most ignorant and most reckless — from the 
dregs and scum of the world. Their theory is that of force ; 
of government they have nothing. They use the force of 
law without any surrender of privileges to the law. Their 
theory of life is self-contradictory. None the less, since 
they cannot be reasoned with, they constitute a menace to 
any country. The mischief makers of all classes make re- 
cruits for Bolsheviki — socialists, radical I. W. W. 's, anar- 
chists, the red flag rabble of every country united in the 
general ignorant greed of the wolf pack. 

Bolshevism may come to America through the Socialists, 
through the I. W. W. or through the Non-Partisan League — 
which in the State of North Dakota to-day hold a two-thirds 
majority of both House and Senate. It will grow out of the 
ignorant and discontented foreigners unassimilated in this 
country. We must expect it naturally to come from these 
and from the pro-Germans in this country, because those 
people never have been satisfied with what we did in the 
war. In general, Bolshevism lives only on its own excite- 
ment, its own lack of plans, its own eccentricities. It finds 
its opportunity in any time of unrest and of slackened 
government. 



464 THE WEB 

We have troublesome days of reconstruction ahead in 
America. Food prices and wages cannot go up forever, 
but it will be difficult to reduce wages and food prices. We 
shall have unemployment in this country. We shall have 
soldiers in this country dissatisfied because they find them- 
selves and their deeds so soon forgotten. These things all 
are among the menaces of America, and they must be faced. 
It will require a united America to face them successfully. 

Shall we import more such problems, or shall we dispense 
with certain of those which we now have? Besides all this 
irresponsible and sporadic Bolshevik propaganda, we may 
count upon the old, steady, undying, well-conceived and 
well-spread propaganda of Germany after the war as much 
as before and during the war. We shall meet^ — indeed, this 
very day are meeting — propaganda against the Allies in- 
tended to split us from France and Great Britain. Ger- 
many is going out after her lost markets all over the world 
as best she can. She will need all of her propaganda to 
help her crawl back even into a place in the shadows of 
the world and not in the sun of the world's respect. While 
the war was going on, some firm in America bought a ship- 
load of German toys. Who wants such blood-reddened toys 
in his home? Soon we shall see German goods in our mar- 
kets. Who wants such goods'? Soon we shall hear the 
subtle commercial scoff, "It's all bosh to refuse German 
goods, for they are better and cheaper." Is it so? Is it 
our duty to be unsentimental in business? Germany was 
quite unsentimental when she tore up the Belgian scrap of 
paper. It now would seem to be time that we had some 
sentiment of the old sort. Sentiment rarely is fundamen- 
tally wrong. So-called common sense quite often is no more 
than common selfishness. 

As these pages go forward, the Allies* declaration is that 
the Hun shall not be allowed in the peace conference nor 
in any League of Nations whatever that may be drawn up. 
One thing is sure. No League of Nations ever will be 
stronger than the individual thought of the countries com- 
bining. Our League of Nations will be no stronger than 
our feelings against pro-Germanism. If we forget that, and 
take up the game at the old place, our League of Nations 
is dead at its birth. 



THE RECKONING 465 

The Department of Justice, having removed restrictions 
on enemy aliens, and having wiped out the barred zones 
and the necessity of passes or permits, has released a great 
many pro-Germans who will slip back into their old places 
in America. In Great Britain the German waiter — so fre- 
quently the German spy — is not going to be allowed to take 
his old place. It may cause some inconvenience, but Great 
Britain is going to get on without him. That is what we 
must learn in America — to get on without some of the 
stolid or the obsequious labor that we have had. With the 
barring of alien labor, we should suffer many inconveniences 
in our personal lives. If we cannot endure those in- 
conveniences, then we can have no League of Nations. With 
the refusal to buy any article made in Germany, we should 
be letting ourselves in for a considerable individual loss. 
Unless we are willing to accept that loss, we can have neither 
a League of Nations nor an America worthy of the name. 

Germay is crippled, but not beaten and not repentant. 
The Germans regret the sinking of the Lusitania only be- 
cause it was the thing which brought America into the war. 
For the war itself they are not sorry. If defeat did not 
make them repentant, heavy indemnities may help teach them 
something of their real place in the world. That lesson will 
be all the stronger if we in America shall make more stringent 
importation and deportation laws — if we shall deport more 
Germans and import less German goods. There is many and 
many an American home where German goods never again 
will enter the doors. 

Prince Carl, of the House of Hohenzollern, when speaking 
of the war, said he thought that Germany ought not to have 
started her submarine warfare "without being absolutely 
sure it would succeed." He said he regretted the German 
propaganda in the .United States — because it had been car- 
ried out so clumsily; he said that Germany ought to have 
started her propaganda here on a larger scale, and ought 
to have spent millions of marks instead of thousands ! There 
you see the German idea and part of the German policy in 
America. They have learned some lessons, but not the great 
lesson of the humble and the contrite heart. 

Maximilian Harden has been a voice crying in the Hun 
wilderness for most of the time of the war. He says that 



466 THE WEB 

now there is no real revulsion of feeling against the men 
who have caused Germany's name to be a stench in the nos- 
trils of the world. The soldiers returning from the front 
are cheered as heroes, though their hands are caked with 
the blood of innocent women and children. Not one of the 
groups scheming for advantage at Berlin has expressly 
repudiated the war. Not one has expressed horror at the 
violation of treaties. 

Are these pages indeed bitter? They cannot be made bit- 
ter enough ! We cannot sufficiently amplify and intensify 
the innate American horror at the revealed duplicity of this 
nation which we have fought and helped to beat. We find 
their spirit to have been one of fiendish ingenuity, their 
intellect of that curiously perverted quality to which atten-. 
tion has been called. Germany never has exulted more in 
the success of her armies in open warfare than in her suc- 
cess at stealth and treachery. Are these the men we wish 
to see marking our coming census maps ? 

We have nothing to fear from Germany. We have beaten 
the Germans at every game they have produced, and we can 
continue to do so. We are the victors and they are the 
vanquished. They made the vast mistake of being beaten 
in this war. There is no reason why we should fear them 
in the future, on either side of the Atlantic. Major H. C. 
Emory, a former professor at Yale, in a late address, rather 
colloquially voiced something of this feeling of confidence 
in his own country : 

Let us get sane! Get over this German bug of thinking 
that somehow or other the Germans are superior. Morally 
they are greatly inferior, but people have thought that some- 
how, intellectually or in organization, they are better than 
the rest of the world. We have shown them that we can 
smash the German, military organization, which we have 
smashed. There is an idea that the Germans can do us in 
business; that somehow this is a race that we cannot compete 
with on normally fair terms. Put that out of your head! 
They are a patient, hard-working race; they will work four- 
teen hours a day where a Russian won't work four. They 
will plod faithfully. But, gentlemen, they are dumb; they are 
stupid. They do not understand things. They do not get 
the psychology of anybody else; and a large part of their 



THE RECKONING 467 

science and their supposed superior way of doing things is 
bluff and fake. They have done some good work, but no 
better work, and they are not doing better work, in the field 
of economics than the English, the French, and the Americans. 
In the field of business they have nothing on you. For the 
love of Mike, don't be afraid of them! You can put it over 
them every time. 

We need not fear either the arms, the arts or the artifices 
of Germany. "What we need to fear, really, is our easy- 
going, unsuspicious American character, our tendency to 
forget everything else in the great game of affairs. It is 
time now that from the great mass of the American people 
there shall appear silently, standing shoulder to shoulder 
and side to side as they have in their old organization, a 
new American Protective League. Our old League deter- 
mined that our homes and our property should be saved. 
Let the new League determine that our country and our 
principles shall be saved. All the eyes of the world turn 
to America to-day. The remainder of the world is dis- 
tracted. In Berlin, radicals coming up from the dregs are 
doing their best to get control of a ruined country. "Bis- 
marck's structure was wonderful while it lasted," says an 
editorial in an able American paper, "but it was a nation 
without a soul. It was made of blood and iron, and it 
could not live because the spirit was left out. ' ' Neither can 
our civilization or our citizenship live if they are made of 
silver and gold, and if the spirit be left out. 

It is time to look at the census map of America. We must 
revise those colors in the next ten years, or we have lost the 
war. This distrust of Germany in America, in South Amer- 
ica and in Europe, is something which should excite no 
sympathy and no pity whatever. Wars are not cleared up, 
for example, on any basis of sympathy. There is no use 
figuring what we can do to show Germany how sorry we 
are. The thing to do is to leave Germany sorry. She has 
coal, iron, timber, copper, potash, phosphate, abundant other 
natural resources. If she cannot handle them, others can 
handle them for her. Marshal Foch has threatened re- 
peatedly that if Germany continues cynically to disregard 
the terms of the armistice, he will march again on Ger- 



468 THE WEB 

many. That is hard doctrine? Yes. But it was Germany 
that lost the war. 

It is altogether likely that not the best writing in the 
world, not the most partisan history in the world, will ever 
be able to give a clean bill of health to America's conduct 
of this war, or to restore the old American confidence that 
we were the one great people of the world. The scales have 
fallen from the eyes at least of our soldiers. They know, 
and presently all the world will know, our shortcomings. 
Three million men will have something to say about the 
politics of this country. Perhaps they will say that our 
next war shall not find us so unprepared. Perhaps they 
will say that our next war shall not find us with an army 
of 2,000,000 spies, propagandists and pro-enemies who claim 
American citizenship. The Army man is the worst foe of 
the censorship which has held back the truth from America 
for so long. Perhaps the Army man will be able to settle 
accounts with that politician whose stock in trade is the 
holding back from the American people of the knowledge of 
themselves. It is time to raise the real banner of America. 
It will take courage to march under those colors. But if 
we cannot march side by side and shoulder to shoulder, then 
we have lost this war, we have lost the Monroe Doctrine, we 
have lost the League of Nations. 

Why should we try to avoid the truth ? Nothing is gained 
by that. The truth is that the reckoning of this war is not 
yet paid. Eventually it must be paid through the resolu- 
tion and individual courage of those citizens who are not 
ashamed to be called American. Ostracism of the hyphen, 
where it is known still to exist; fearlessness in the boycott 
of blood-soaked German goods; rejection of the blood-soaked 
German hand; the wiping out of the foreign languages in 
the pulpit and press of America; the revocation of citizen- 
ship based on a lie; the deportation of known traitors — 
those are some of the things which must go into the oath of 
the next A. P. L. Until we can swear that oath and main- 
tain it, we have lost the war. 

It is a far cry enough. We have not shot one German 
spy out of those thousands whom we have found working 
here in America. We have not deported one man. We have 
revoked the citizenship of only two men — the above men- 



THE RECKONING 469 

tioned Fred Wiirsterbarth, who had been a citizen of Amer- 
ica for thirty years, and Carl August Darmer, of Tacoma, 
Washington, who had been a citizen in America for thirty- 
six years. Do you think these two men were any worse 
than a one hundred thousand others who worked as spies of 
Germany? Hardly. The war remains still to be fought 
against these men who still are under arms. Apply this 
test to your friends and associates — to your lawyer, your 
doctor, to your grocer, above all, to your alderman, your 
councilman, your mayor and your representatives in Con- 
gress. Why not ? It is only the same test which the United 
States District Court in New Jersey applied to Wiirsterbarth. 
Eight years ago an American minister of the gospel who 
had lived much abroad, especially in Germany, came back 
to this country and wrote a book which perhaps never was 
very popular. He held up the mirror of America to her- 
self. His views to-day would not be so much that of one 
crying in the wilderness. Let us follow along, in a running 
synopsis of the pages of his book, a hint now and then from 
page to page, and see what one man thought in that long 
ago before war was dreamed of; before the German army 
of spies, military and industrial, had been unearthed ; before 
the plans of Germany for world conquest had been divulged. 
That writer says : 

In fifty years New York will be what the Italians make it. 
. . . In New York there is only one native American to 
twenty foreigners. Waterbury, Connecticut, has a population 
of 30,000, 20,000 being aliens. . . . New Haven and Hart- 
ford, cities of long-established colleges, have an un-American 
population which in ten years will outnumber the natives. 
. . . Parts of New Jersey are more hopelessly de-Ameri- 
canized than New England. Perth Amboy has at least three 
to one non-Americans. Cincinnati and Milwaukee have been 
German cities for a quarter of a century; Chicago hardly less 
so. . . . Wherever I take a meal I am served solely by 
foreigners. ... It seems odd that I should seldom ever 
see or meet Americans except in a social or professional way, 
and the professions are being rapidly filled by men of foreign 
names. . . . The Yankee no longer counts in the industrial 
and commercial life of New England. In his place is to be 
found the Italians, Hungarians, French, Polocks, Scandina- 
vians and Jews. . . . Thoroughness, therefore, must now 



470 THE WEB j 

be the watchword of the native American if he hopes to sur- 
vive in the terrific commercial battle now waging all over 
the world. . . . This sort of thing must be stopped at 
once or we are lost. . . . Take the half-past-seven Sunday- 
morning train from the New York Grand Central station, and 
you will see at every way-station a swarm of dark, sturdy 
foreigners- entering or quitting the train at the little towns 
• along the way — for this is a local train and makes all the 
stops — and these people are thus enabled to visit their friends 
and acquaintance's. And there appears to be no town, however 
small, where these foreigners have not gained some footing as 
laborers, farmers and small tradesmen. I should say that more 
than half of the Sunday railroad traflSc in New York, New 
Jersey and New England is foreign. I took a train from 
New York some thirty miles into New Jersey one Sunday 
morning in October and the conductor told me that he did 
not think the native Americans constituted ten per cent of 
his passengers. I asked him whether that was the usual thing 
on Sundays, and he said, "No, not quite so bad as to-day, 
but we always have more foreigners than natives on 
Sunday." . . . 

Six millions of aliens are necessary, we are told, to the 
development of the resources of our country. Now, it is per- 
fectly plain that these foreign hordes are necessary to the 
development of the multi-millionaires, the trusts and the 
monopolies; but it is not so plain that they are necessary to 
the peace, happiness and prosperity of this country. . . . 
The normal increase of the native American population in 
the last forty years would have been amply sufficient for the 
proper and healthy development of this country. Had not the 
foreigner been called in in such hordes, we should have been 
forced to do our own work ourselves and would have been all 
the happier and richer for it. . . . There must be a check 
put upon immigration. Self-preservation Is the first law of 
nature, and the time has come when we must resort to it. 
. . . We need time to train our children to compete with 
these people and during that time the foreigner must be held 
at bay. Immigration must be checked. The resources of this 
land are being too rapidly developed by means of these 
aliens. . . . Some radical change for the worse has taken 
place in the last quarter of a century in the fibre of our life, 
our manhood and our national character. . . . Indiscrimi- 
nate and immoderate immigration is, I believe, the main cause 
of this deterioration. We have ceased long since to assimilate 
the vast hordes of heterogeneous peoples who have been 



THE RECKONING 471 

dumped down upon our shores and wlio swarm all over this 
land in the eager pursuit of the mere physical necessities of 
life. This is the object, the sole ambition of nine hundred 
and ninety-nine out of every thousand. Such an invasion is 
actually as disastrous to a country as the invasion of Germany 
by the Huns who were impelled solely by hunger (the very 
same motive that brings the vast majority of immigrants to 
this country) and whose ravages devastated the whole of 
Germany and scattered its inhabitants beyond the Alps to 
the Rhine and to the borders of the Mediterranean. . . . 
Such masses of crude humanity as pour in upon us cannot 
possibly be taken up into healthy circulation, but must lie 
undigested in the stomach of the nation, seriously affecting its 
health and happiness. . . . The curse these immigrants 
bring upon themselves is plainly to be seen, for it is immediate. 
They form a body incompatible with the healthy growth of 
this country. The greater curse of this country is that they 
do the work that should not be done by them at all, the work 
that should be done by natives. They take the work and the 
bread out of the hands and mouths of native Americans, and 
the question of their means of living must soon become one 
of the most pressing economic and social problems of the day. 

Such extended quotations are made from one writer (Mr. 
Monroe Royee; ''The Passing of the American") only be- 
cause these truths of ten years ago are equally true to-day 
and more true. In the past, ten years our census map has 
changed yet more. And now into this crude population of 
ours we have inducted all the seeds of discord of this war. 
We have learned a sudden distrust of a large number of 
our citizenry. Our returning soldiers will bring us yet more 
problems. The spirit of unrest in this hour of anarchy will 
add to all these problems. 

It is tim.e for another oath, sworn indeed for the protection 
of America. 



AT THE PEACE TABLE 

Who shall sit at the table, then, when the terms of peace are 

made — 
The wisest men of the troubled lands in their silver and gold 

brocade ? 
Yes, they shall gather in solemn state to speak for each living 

race. 
But who shall speak for the unseen dead that shall come to 

the council place? 

Though you see them not and you hear them not, they shall 

sit at the table, too ; 
They shall throng the room where the peace is made and 

know what it is you do; 
The innocent dead from the sea shall rise to stand at the 

wise man's side, 
And over his shoulder a boy shall look — a boy that was 

crucified. 

You may guard the doors of that council hall with barriers 

strong and stout, 
But the dead unbidden shall enter there, and never you'll 

shut them out. 
And the man that died in the open boat, and the babes that 

suffered worse. 
Shall sit at the table when peace is made by the side of a 

martyred nurse. 

You may see them not, but they '11 all be there ; when they 

speak you may fail to hear; 
You may think that you're making your pacts alone, but 

their spirits will hover near; 
And whatever the terms of the peace you make with the 

tyrant whose hands are red, 
You must please not only the living here, but must satisfy 

your dead. 

— Edgar A. GUesf. 



CHAPTER II 

THE PEACE TABLE 

The Price of Peace — The First Days After the Armistice 
— Ferocious Treachery of Germany in this Country — The 
Test of the Citizen — The New America. 

To the merely morbid mind, the white faces of the starved, 
the moans of the maimed, the black habiliments of those 
who mourn, may be thought parts of a drama whose terrible 
appeal has found no counterpart in the human emotions. 
For the average man, soon to settle back to the grim struggle 
of making his living, perhaps even these scenes will fade, the 
world turning from them because the world can endure no 
more. But someone must make the peace, must bind up the 
wounds. Someone must point out the future to the stagger- 
ing peoples, dizzy from their hurts. And it is not alone 
Europe which has a future to outline. Our own history is 
not yet written ; our own problems lie before us still. 

"What shall a just peace be ? If it must be tempered with 
mercy, to whom shall we show mercy — to the foe whom we 
have beaten, or the coming generation of Americans whom 
that foe has done all he could to betray and ruin? Shall 
we fight this war through now until it actually is done; or 
shall we face an indeterminate future, with possible further 
yet bloodier and more appalling wars? 

Now the dead arise and demand their justice. The world 
leans over the rail of the arena, cold-faced, thumbs down, 
pitiless of the armed bully who lies vanquished and whimper- 
ing. A race which would fight as Germany has fought, and 
for such reasons, will fight again when possible. Such a race 
understands nothing but force. Mercy is mistaken with a 
people which knows not the meaning of mercy. Britain has 
a huge war bill against Germany; that of France is larger 
still. What of our own bill? And what of the total of all 
these sums, added to that which the war has cost Germany 

473 



474 THE WEB 

herself? If the Germans should be serfs for centuries, they 
could not pay the reckoning in silver and gold alone. But 
that is not the great question. What of the silent dead, 
demanding also their due before Almighty God? 

Germany never can pay her bill. So long as her language 
is spoken, it will be the tongue of a debtor race whose ac- 
count never will be paid and never can be. And why should 
the world forgive that debt or that debtor, even should it 
find it impossible to collect the debt. What outlaws such a 
debt in the just belief of the world? Shall continued ar- 
rogance and treachery serve to outlaw that unpaid debt? 
Shall a continuance in America of the old German ways in 
America serve to outlaw her awful and eternally unpaid 
debt? 

Why does such feeling as this exist in the minds of the 
most chivalrous of foes against whom Germany ever fought ? 
Why should America and France and Britain feel an im- 
placable hatred against a helpless enemy? In other wars 
the sign of submission has arrested the wrath of warriors. 
But not in this war. The world looks on beaten G-ermany 
to-day with cold scorn and with no feeling of relenting. It 
is the way that she fought — it is the spying that she did, 
the brutality that she showed, which has awakened the ice- 
cold wrath of the world to-day. That wrath means to exact 
its pound of flesh from the heart of Germany itself. What 
of the dead who died unfairly? What of the innocent and 
the unarmed dead? Only in her own tears of blood could 
Germany learn the humble and the contrite heart. She has 
not yet learned her lesson. It must be taught her for a 
century yet and more. 

More and more as the facts shall come from Europe, un- 
covering the real Germany, showing her ferocious treachery 
all over the world, her utter insensibility to any feeling of 
responsibility, her abysmal ignorance of such a term as 
honor, shall we be ready to make fair conclusions ; for these 
must be our only premises. 

It is only those who really know Germany's methods in 
America — those who know her treachery, her duplicity, her 
efforts to undermine our country — who can make up a fair 
judgment as to how Germany should be treated in the 
future. 



THE PEACE TABLE 475 

The members of the A. P. L. have drawn aside the masks 
and found hundreds of thousands of two-faced "citizens" 
amenable to no sense of honor and fair play, hating the flag 
they have sworn to honor. America does not need those 
people. America needs only the facts about them. The 
judgment thereon will be written in the next two genera- 
tions of American history. 

The plea of Germany for food, after the Armistice was 
only part of her old propaganda. Her attempts to split 
this country away from the Allies is now carried on only 
as a part of her old systematic propaganda. It behooves 
us to be well aware of such methods, since we once have 
known them. Germany will not be allowed at the peace 
table. She will not be allowed in the League of Nations. 
Why? Because she has lost the right to shake the hand of 
honorable soldiers. How about honorable citizens? 

There is not so much bitterness as cold and relentless 
reason in all such statements. But you may get a trace of 
bitterness from the press of Europe, suffering as Europe 
has all these years under the ruthlessness of German war. 
There is indeed "every reason for belief that other pledges 
would be as treacherously shattered did not the victors con- 
trol the only agency which Germany understands — sheer 
material force. There can be no compassion based on any 
code of sound morality for people so despicable as to snivel 
for help in the midst of an orgy of cowardly iniquity. Ger- 
many in this last and most loathsome of her ugly roles should 
excite about as much legitimate sympathy as a hungry 
snake. ' ' 

The murders of Liebknecht and of Rosa Luxemburg have 
excited certain strange comment in the German press. 
"What will the world think of us? " asks the German 
paper Vorwaerts, " if we commit murders such as this ? ' ' 

That certainly is a purely German question ! It is a trifle 
academic. What in Germany is the murder of one woman 
or one man? The seventh of May, 1915, was proclaimed a 
national holiday in Germany. On the seventh of May in 
1916, 1917, 1918, the German people closed their shops and 
their factories, and in holiday attire paraded the streets to 
pelebrate that glorious German victory when a submarine 
sank an unarmed vessel and murdered more than a thousand 



476 THE WEB 

persons, many of them women and children. And now Ger- 
many asks what the world will think of her for killing one 
or two of her own people ! 

The whole truth will never be known, but more than 
100,000 citizens of Belgium and France were put to death 
on various pretexts ; thousands of women made the sport of 
violent beasts who wore the Kaiser 's uniform ; thousands of 
little children maimed and tortured and every conceivable 
barbarity and infamy committed upon them. And yet Ger- 
many apologizes for killing two more persons! And Dr. 
Dernburg counts upon the future friendhip of America ! 

. It must be the just men and brave men of America who 
shall constitute the court to determine the treatment of the 
foreign element in America. All of those men within our 
gates who retain their sympathy for Germany are enemies 
of this country ^f ter the war as much as they were during 
the war. They must share then in the defeat of Germany 
and must pay the losses of the loser. The victor decides. 
"We are the victors. Let the foreign element reflect on that 
— we are the victors, not they, in this fight which they 
elected. It is only the man who makes the dollar his Ten 
Commandments who will feel toward Germany in America 
after the war as he did before. 

What we Americans need is not so much a League of 
Nations as a League of Americans. The soul of the Ameri- 
can Protective League — renamed, rechristened and recon- 
secrated — ^must go marching on even though the League 
be disbanded, its unseen banner floating no more over a 
definite organization. As citizens we must unite in a com- 
mon purpose, or the v. ar will have been lost for us no matter 
Avhat shall be the treaty at Versailles. If we open our hearts 
and homes again to the former traitors at our own table, 
then we have lost this war. It is of little consequence what 
is done with the Kaiser — he is too pitiable a figure to be 
able to pay much, even with his life. But Kaiserism in 
America, still growing, still reaching out in the old ways — 
that is a different thing. We were leagued against that 
once, and must be leagued against it forever. 

It is accurate enough to say that this war was no lofty 
thing in any phase. It was much like any other war, based 
on the biological impulse of nations to go to war almost 



THE PEACE TABLE 477 

rhythmically, almost periodically. Commercial jealousy 
brought out the war, and that it was " forced on " Ger- 
many was never anything but a pitiable lie. Germany 
wanted to control the Suez Canal, to enlarge her possessions 
in East Africa, to obtain the rich Indian possessions of 
Great Britain. All this was to follow her defeat of Eng- 
land and Prance, her absorption of Belgium, Denmark and 
Holland, her consolidation of Middle Europe, her subjection 
of the mujik population of Russia, already suborned and 
bought and beaten by German propaganda. It was indeed 
a grandiose scheme of world conquest. Nothing that Alex- 
ander planned could have paralleled it. But it failed ! 

In our own country, we of the A. P. L. have seen treason 
weighed and bought like soap or sugar, and the price was 
ready in German gold, no matter how high. Our morale was 
continuously assailed. Through our colleges, our schools, 
our churches, Germany always intended to undermine Amer- 
ica and to break down her patriotism. On the list of men 
of intellect whom Germany had bought, there are, besides 
a long list of college professors, fifty other names, including 
judges, editors, priests, men of large affairs. The German 
satyrs of diplomacy juggled huge figures carelessly in a 
cold-blooded commerce which dwelt in hearts and souls and 
honor. That was done merely in the hope to divide and 
conquer the United States, all in good time. German-Amer- 
ican citizens? Why, no. Why use even that hyphen? If 
they were not Americans during the war, they are not 
Americans now. They are no more demobilized than Ger- 
many's army is demobilized. Their hearts are no more 
changed than the heart of Germany has changed. If they 
were not at one time above prostituting the most sacred 
offices in the world, they are not above that now. 

Let the dead speak at the peace table! Let them tell of 
the simplicity and worthiness of the German character, the 
German "love of liberty." We are often told about Ger- 
many's part in our Civil War. We are not fighting that 
war now — we are fighting this war. We are asked to dis- 
tinguish between the German rulers and the German people ; 
but the obvious truth was that Germany was more united 
for this war than we were united for it, more than Great 
Britain or France was united for it. She planned it as the 



478 THE WEB 

exact working out of a business system — she made it her 
industry, her ambition, her business enterprise for this gen- 
eration. Is such an ambition as this stifled forever in her 
soul, on either side the Atlantic? Let us not be too easy 
and too foolish. We are just beginning to learn about our 
own citizenship. If Germany struck medals to commemorate 
its gallant dead, each dead man of ours at the peace table 
ought to bear that medal in his hand which would serve as 
proof of Germany 's oneness with her Kaiser in this war ! 

In these merciful and liberty-loving terms a German 
apostle of " kultur " writes: 

Let us bravely organize great forced migrations of the 
inferior peoples. Let them be driven into "reserves," where 
they have no room to grow . . . and where, discouraged 
and rendered indifferent to the future by the spectacle of the 
superior energy of their conquerors, they may crawl slowly 
toward the peaceful death of weary and hopeless senility. 

Superior energy! Thrift! Efficiency! Let dead lips at 
the peace table spell out those words. We remember the 
Alamo. We remember the Maine. Shall we forget the 
Lusitania? 

That statesmanship is not acceptable American states- 
manship which plans mercy for such a people, or which 
tolerates the thought of unsafely letting in more of that 
breed within our country's gates. It is a false and weak 
statesmanship to mince matters in days like these. Had 
Germany's war been fought out honestly by soldiers in 
uniform only, against soldiers in uniform, in accordance 
with the customs among warriors, then that war might one 
day be forgotten. But Belgium and France, plus von Bern- 
storff and von Papen and Scheele — No, no, and again, No ! 
We Americans can not forget. 

The propaganda campaign is beginning again here, now, 
in America, even in the existing confusion of our industries, 
in the hurrying of our own plans for demobilization. We 
shall soon hear stories intended to make us believe that 
France robbed us commercially, that Britain does not love 
us and only used us. Can you not hear now the German 
song: " The war is over now. We are at peace. Let us 
forget. Kamerad! " 



THE PEACE TABLE 479 

But we are not at peace. Our dead stand at the table 
with all those other gallant dead, to demand their hearing 
through all time. We must be done with foresworn citizen- 
ship in America. We could forgive a soldier; but we can- 
not forgive a naturalized German who foreswore himself 
when he took the oath of allegiance to our country. That 
treachery is one thing which must go — that is one thing 
which shall never be forgotten or forgiven in America. 
Such men as these lost their war. There is no injustice, no 
unfairness in any of these words, which sound so harsh. 
They set lightly on the innocent, heavily on those who have 
guilt in their hearts. 

It is for every man of foreign blood to know his own 
heart — we cannot know his heart for him. He alone knows 
whether he is German or American. He knows which he 
wants to be. We know that he cannot be both. That is the 
one test — the impossibility of a man being both a good 
German and a good American. Let him choose. Let him 
read his own heart. And let him remember that he is not 
the victor but the vanquished in this war. 

One great American — I fancy even his enemies will 
allow him that title now — wrote as his final message to 
America the real answer to this war as it applies to us in 
America. Colonel Roosevelt's last plea was for American- 
ism. It was read at an All- American Benefit Concert by a 
trustee of the society, because of the Colonel's indisposition: 

I cannot be with you, and so all I can do is wish you 
Godspeed. There must be no sagging back in the fight for 
Americanism merely because the war is over. There - are 
plenty of persons who have already made the assertion that 
they believe the American people have a short memory, and 
that they intend to revive all the foreign associations which 
most directly interfere with the complete Americanization of 
our people. 

Our principle in this matter should be absolutely simple. 
In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant, who 
comes here in good faith, becomes an American and assimilates 
himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with 
everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any 
such man because of creed, or birthplace or origin. 

But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in fact an 
American and nothing but an American. If he tries to keep 



480 THE WEB 

segregated with men of his own origin, and separated from 
the rest of America, then he isn't doing his part as an 
American. 

There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who 
says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an 
American at all. "We have room for but one flag, the Ameri- 
can flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all 
wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it ex- 
cludes any flag of a nation to which we are hostile. 

To that doctrine, and to that alone, can the dead at the 
peace table nod their voiceless assent. By that doctrine 
only, continually kept alive, continually enforced, can their 
deaths ever be justified and made glorious indeed. Under 
that doctrine and for that purpose, we, who have our war 
to fight out here in America for a generation and more, can 
continue the battle, knowing that it is for a good cause, and 
knowing that we shall win. 

The old oath of the American Protective League exists no 
more. The silent army has disbanded. But now it remains 
the privilege of each of those men, and their sons and broth- 
ers, to enlist again in a yet greater army, and to swear a 
yet greater oath, each for himself, at his own bedside, 
gravely and solemnly : 

THIS is my country. I have no other country. I swear 
to he loyal to her always, to protect her and to defend her 
always, and in all ways. In my heart this is the truth, the 
whole truth, and nothing hut the truth. So help me God! 



APPENDICES 



APPENDIX A 

HISTORICAL STATEMENT OF HINTON G. CLABAUGH, 
DIVISION SUPERINTENDENT, U. S. BUREAU 
OF INVESTIGATION 

Shortly after the severance of diplomatic relations between the 
United States and Germany on February 1, 1917, Mr. A. M. Briggs, 
then vice-president of a poster advertising company of New York, 
Chicago and elsewhere, whom I had met in connection with sev- 
eral official investigations, called at the office of the Bureau of 
Investigation, and made substantially the following statement: 
"Diplomatic relations have been severed and in all probability 
this country will be drawn into the European war. I am physically 
unable to join the active fighting forces, but I would like to help 
in some way, and it has occurred to me that a volunteer organiza- 
tion might be of great assistance to an investigating bureau such 
as the one with which you are connected. I hereby pledge all 
my time and all my resources. I am not a man of much wealth, 
but the Government is welcome to every dollar I possess, as well 
as my time, and I earnestly hope that if you can think of any way 
in which I can be of assistance to this Bureau you will com- 
mand me." 

In the meantime I had a conference with the late Herman F. 
Schuettler, then General Superintendent of Police of Chicago, and 
attended a meeting of prominent citizens of this community in 
the Federal Building. 

Subsequently, or a few days after the first conversation, I told 
Mr. Briggs I had been thinking about his idea and believed that 
an organization of volunteers would be of very great help to the 
Department, and as a first step in connection with such organiza- 
tion we could use some automobiles, which would enable the agents 
to cover several times as much territory, to say nothing of the 
time thus saved, Isut that there was no appropriation from which 
the Government could pay for the upkeep of such cars. I also 
explained to him the substance of some telegrams which I had 
exchanged on the subject with Mr. A. Bruce Bielaski, Chief of the 
Bureau of Investigation at Washington. 

483 



484 THE WEB 

Mr. Briggs on February 26th tendered the Chicago office three 
good cars, and offered to furnish a car, or cars, for the New York 
and Washington oflSces, as per my telegram to the Chief of the 
Bureau, dated February 27, 1917. 

On February 27, 1917, I wrote the following letter to Mr. Bie- 
laski, Chief of the Bureau: 

"This letter will introduce to you Mr. A. M. Briggs, concerning 
whom I have already telegraphed and written you. Please be 
sure to have Mr. Briggs meet Mr. Wrisley Brown, Mr. Horn and 
Mr. Pike; and I should also like to have him meet Mr. Suter if 
he is in." 

The Mr. Wrisley Brown referred to was Special Assistant to 
the Attorney General, and is now Major Wrisley Brown of the 
Military Intelligence Division. Mr. Raymond Horn, Mr. A. H. 
Pike and Mr. John Gardner were assistants to the Chief of the 
Bureau. Mr. Suter was Private Secretary to the Attorney General. 

On February 28, Mr. Bielaski sent me the following telegram: 

Department Justice, Washington. 

"Hinton G. Clabaugh, 
Bureau of Investigation, Chicago. 

"Wire immediately whether acceptance offer automobiles would 
be used as advertisement in any way. Believe Congress opposed 
any advertisement feature. Bielaski." 

On February 28, 1917, I wired Mr. Bielaski as follows: 

"A. B. Bielaski, 
Department Justice, Washington. 

"Telegram received. Offer of four automobiles for Chicago, four 
for New York, three for Washington, referred to in telegram, not 
intended in any way as advertisement. In fact, specifically stated 
to contrary. Clabaugh." 

Mr. Briggs also tendered a gift of fifty to seventy-five automo- 
biles, to be divided up among the various offices of the Bureau, in 
the principal cities, where they could be used to best advantage, 
without any cost to the Government whatsoever, as per my letter 
to the Chief of the Bureau of February 27, 1917. 

On March 14, 1917, I sent a personal letter to Mr. Bielaski, 
Chief of the Bureau, enclosing a letter addressed to me by Mr. 
Briggs under date of March 14, a copy of which I have and which 
is as follows: 

"Hinton G. Clabaugh, 
Bureau of Investigation, Chicago. 

"My dear Mr. Clabaugh: 

"Believing that the Department of Justice is at this time in need 



APPENDIX A 4^5 

of possible assistance in their work and that a volunteer organiza- 
tion, properly built and controlled, could render valuable and 
efficient service, I beg to submit the following for your con- 
sideration: 

Its Purpose: fA volunteer organization to aid the Bureau of 
Investigation of the Department of Justice. 

The Object: To work with and under the direction of the Chief 
of the Bureau of Investigation, of the Department of Justice, or 
such attorney, or persons as he may direct, rendering such service 
as may be required from time to time. 

Membership: This organization is to be composed of citizens 
of good moral character who shall volunteer their services and 
who are acceptable to your Department. 

Construction: It is proposed that national headquarters be 
established either in Washington, or perhaps Chicago, because of 
its geographical location, and that branch organizations be estab- 
lished in such cities as your 'Department may direct. 

Finances: It is proposed that headquarters organization and 
branch organizations shall finance themselves either by outside 
subscriptions or by its members. 

Control: It is proposed that each unit of this organization shall 
be under the control of the Government but will report to and be 
under the direction of the nearest Department of Justice head- 
quarters. 

Trusting you will give the foregoing your consideration, 

(Signed) A. M. Briggs." 

On March 19, 1917, Mr. Bielaski telegraphed me as follows: 

"Hinton G. Clabaugh, 
Bureau of Investigation, Chicago. 

"Replying your letter fourteenth Briggs should be encouraged in 
organization volunteer association. Be glad talk with him abovit 
matter. Letter follows. Bielaski." 

Mr. Bielaski confirmed his telegram by letter under date of 
March 20th, which reads in part as follows: 

"Hinton G. Clabaugh, Chicago. 

"In reply to your letter of the 14th, with respect to letter ad- 
dressed to you by Mr. A. M. Briggs of Chicago under date of 14th, 
I beg to advise you that this Department is encouraging the 
organization of volunteer associations to aid the Government in 
securing information as to the activities of foreign Governments 
or unfriendly aliens. 

"In the pressure of business your desire for an iminediate answer 
was overlooked, but I have just telegraphed you the gist of this 



486 THE WEB 

letter. This organization should be handled as confidentially as 
practicable, and care taken that nothing is done by it to unneces- 
sarily alarm aliens in this country or cause them any apprehen- 
sion as to the fair manner in which they will be treated, and no 
arrests should be caused, except after consultation with the federal 
authorities, in order that there may be no confusion. 

"I will take no further action in this matter until I hear from 
Mr. Briggs or yourself." 

On March 20, I telegraphed Mr. Briggs as follows: 

"A. M. Briggs, 
Hotel Claridge, New York City. 

"Just received following telegram from Chief Bielaskl: 'Reply- 
ing your letter 14th, Briggs should be encouraged in organization 
volunteer association. Be glad talk with him about matter. Letter 
follows.' Personally, foregoing makes me very happy, as it does you, 
I am sure. Please wire what day you will confer with Chief. 
Clabaugh." 

On March 20, I received the following telegram, dated New 
York, from Mr. Briggs: 

"Hinton G. Clabaugh, 
Bureau of Investigation, Chicago. 

"Great news. Will see Chief Washington Thursday morning 
nine thirty. Please arrange appointment. Briggs." 

I then wired the Chief of the Bureau, and on March 22, Mr. 
Briggs wired me from Washington as follows: 

"Hinton G. Clabaugh, 
Bureau of Investigation, Chicago. 

"Very satisfactory interview. Chief has approved. Organization, 
our original plan, to be formed immediately. See you Saturday. 
Briggs." 

Thus it was that Chicago was the first city in the United States 
to have such an organization. It was the idea of Mr. A. M. 
Briggs, and of no one else. Although in public speeches, letters 
and upon other occasions he has been generous enough to credit 
the idea to me, I want it positively understood that the whole 
scheme was his thought, and it is due to his untiring energy and 
sacrifice that the organization was started and put on its feet 
during the early period of its history, when many people were 
inclined to look upon it and ridicule it as "a bunch of volunteer 
detectives, etc." Mr. Briggs personally defrayed all expenses in 
the early history of the organization. National headquarters were 
here in the Peoples Gas Building and the Chicago Division was 



APPENDIX A 487 

formed as well. Thomas B. Crockett was Assistant Chief of the 
national organization prior to the time, or until the time, he was 
made a Major in the Army, and assigned to the Intelligence 
Branch, Central Department. 

At the beginning of the war, the Bureau of Investigation handled 
all complaints of violations of so-called federal war laws, the 
enforcement of which were not specifically charged to other depart- 
ments or bureaus by statute. In time, however, the military au- 
thorities established a bureau of Military Intelligence, and the Navy 
established in Chicago the Aid for Information and Naval Intelli- 
gence Bureau. 

Under the direction of the Bureau of Investigation, a War 
Board was formed, consisting of representatives of the following 
Investigating Bureaus: 

Chairman: Hinton G. Clabaugh, Division Superintendent, Bu- 
reau of Investigation, Department of Justice. 

Colonel Carl Reiehmann, former Military Intelligence Officer, 
Central Department, "War Department. 

Major T. B. Crockett, Military Intelligence Officer. 

Lieutenant Edwin L. Reed, Aide for Information, 9th, 10th and 
11th Naval Districts. 

Lieutenant Commander Clive Runnells, Naval Intelligence 
Officer. 

General James E. Stuart, Post Office Inspector in Charge. 

Colonel L. G. Nutt, Supervising Agent, Internal Revenue. 

H. R. Landis, Inspector in Charge Immigration Service. 

John J. Bradley, U. S. Marshal. 

Charles Howe Bradley, Special Agent in Charge, Treasury 
Department. 

Davis S. Groh, Special Agent in Charge, Plant Protection Divi- 
sion, War Department. 

John H. Winterbotham, Chairman, Chicago Division, American 
Protective League. 

Robert A. Gunn, Chief, Chicago Division, American Protective 
League. 

John H. Alcock, former Acting General Superintendent of Police. 

John J. Garrity, General Superintendent of Police. 

Morgan Collins, former First Deputy, Superintendent of Police. 

By degrees the League, through the Bureau, tendered its services 
to these several branches. 

In this necessarily brief and naked sketch of the early days of 
the American Protective League, I ought to add just a word or so 
regarding the composition and the purposes of this War Board. 
I called a meeting of the heads of the various federal investigation 
bureaus of the several departments of the Government, having to 



488 THE WEB 

do with Investigation involving the detection and prosecution of 
crime under Federal laws, and the general superintendent of 
police, who represents the local authorities. The purpose of this 
meeting of the committee was to discuss various matters relating 
to individual bureaus, with the idea of coordinating the work 
and to have maximum efficiency with minimum confusion and 
expense, and thus to avoid unnecessary duplication of work. A 
committee representing two or three departments was appointed, 
which met almost daily for many months. This committee was of 
invaluable assistance. It kept the various heads of bureaus work- 
ing together in harmonious cooperation, and many constructive 
ideas were put into effect. 

Chief Thomas I. Porter, Operator in charge of the Secret Service 
Division, Treasury Department, nominated me for Chairman. The 
nomination was seconded by Colonel Carl Reichmann,~^ Military 
Intelligence Officer, and unanimously approved, although I favored 
the selection of one of the older men. Captain Charles Daniel 
Frey, later of the Military Intelligence Division at Washington, 
and one of the National Directors, attended the first meeting, and 
was selected secretary of the committee. 

The Chicago Bureau, assisted by the American Protective League, 
has conducted some of the most important investigations in the. 
country. It is my judgment that the convictions under war laws 
in the Chicago district will equal that of any three cities in the 
country. While comparisons are odious, I am referring to the 
record as a mutter of pride rather than egotism. 

Topping the list with the famous I. W. W. trial, as late as 
May, 1917, it was believed that the I. W. W. situation was one 
which should be handled by the state authorities, but their activi- 
ties and the history of the organization were such that the Govern- 
ment undertook to follow it up officially shortly after that time. 

I was placed in charge of the investigation at Chicago. A branch 
bureau was established in the McCormick Building, and assisted 
by a number of Special Agents, we worked there continuously, 
not coming near the Federal Building for eight or ten weeks, until 
on September 5, 1917, the Government, through search warrant 
process under the Espionage Act, raided I. W. W. headquarters 
in approximately one hundred different places throughout the 
country simultaneously. The prosecution was in charge of Special 
Assistants to the Attorney General, Frank K. Nebeker, Frank C. 
Dailey and Claude R. Porter, as well as Oliver E. Pagan, Indict- 
ment Expert and Special Assistant to the Attorney General, and 
U. S. District Attorney Charles F. Clyne. 

Indictments were subsequently returned. A trial, lasting a 
number of months, was had, which resulted in convicting about 



APPENDIX A 489 

one hundred, or practically all of tlie active leaders of the I. W. W. 
movement, ninety-seven of whom were sentenced by Federal Judge 
Landis and are now serving sentences in Leavenworth Federal 
Penitentiary. Cases are pending, as this is being written, against 
other leaders of the I. W. W. in Sacramento, Kansas City, Omaha 
and elsewhere. 

In connection with the preparation of the evidence at Chicago, 
I take this occasion to commend most highly the efficient, untiring 
assistance of Special Agent George N. Murdock, of the Indianapolis 
office, who was assigned to Chicago and relieved me of the investi- 
gating detail work in December, 1917, and he continued to assist 
those in charge of the case throughout the trial. Mr. Murdock is 
still Special Agent of the Department of Justice, in active charge 
of the investigating work at Sacramento, Kansas City, Omaha and 
elsewhere. 

The Bureau of Investigation and the American Protective League 
are very greatly indebted to the late Herman F. Schuettler, then 
General Superintendent of Police of Chicago, for his competency 
and very great assistance personally, also his entire Police Depart- 
ment, in helping make the American Protective League a success 
in Chicago. The same is true of John H. Alcock, former Acting 
General Superintendent of Police, Morgan Collins, First Deputy 
Superintendent of Police, and other officials of the Police Depart- 
ment. 

I shall therefore not burden this memorandum except to call 
attention to the famous Rockford draft cases, which resulted in 
the conviction of about one hundred persons. (Rockford is the 
entry-point for Camp Grant Cantonment.) 

After war had been declared and during the discussion in Con- 
gress of the Draft Act, the I. W. W. members and their sympa- 
thizers carried on an active campaign against the Act, and when 
the Act was passed, simply advised their members not to register. 
They were particularly active in the Chicago Division, as well 
as around Rockford. To insure carrying out their plans at Rock- 
ford, an all-day meeting and picnic was announced for June 5 at 
Blackhawk Park for the purpose of keeping their members and 
sympathizers together until after the close of the registration 
booths in order to prevent their registration. 

On June 6, 1917, Wait Talcott, Chief of the American Protective 
League at Rockford, presented the facts to me and he was directed 
to request the local authorities in Rockford to take steps to appre- 
hend all those who had not registered. Late in the afternoon 
three were apprehended and locked up in the county jail. This 
act enraged the leaders of the I. W. W. Meetings were held, 
demanding the release of the persons in custody. Upon adjourn- 



490 THE WEB 

ment of the meetings the members marched in a body through 
the principal streets of Rockford to the jail, about a mile and a 
quarter away, and a demand was made to release the prisoners. 
Upon the Sheriff's refusal to do so, the mob incited a riot, as a 
result of which, arrests were made of the leaders and persons 
known to be in sympathy with the I. W. W. and placed in jail. 
About one hundred and thirty-five arrests were made. At the time' 
standing room only was available in the jail. Sheriff Guy Ginders 
of Rockford arranged with the Sheriffs of Boone and Stevenson 
Counties to accept some of the prisoners. With this end in view 
special interurban cars were chartered. Thirty-five were taken to 
Boone County, forty-five to Stevenson County, and about thirty 
remained in the Rockford city jail. Before the transfers were 
made all the glass in the windows of the jail was broken and most 
of the plumbing wrecked. The leader, James Cully, was indicted 
by the Federal Grand Jury, tried in the federal court, found guilty, 
and sentenced to Leavenworth Penitentiary. A majority of the 
balance were indicted by the federal grand jury for failure to 
register, and about 107 were sentenced to a maximum of one year 
in the Bridewell at Chicago. 

This case, together tvith the I. W. W. case at Chicago, makes 
a total of 212 defendants convicted in two cases — a record, I 
believe, in the Federal Courts of this country. The American 
Protective League aided the Department in both of these important 
cases. 

As I understand it, "The Web" will be a history of the League 
as an organization rather than a work referring to any individuals 
connected with it, but, nevertheless, I desire to say that in addi- 
tion to Mr. A. M. Briggs, both Captain Charles Daniel Frey and 
Mr. Victor Elting, who later became National Directors at Wash- 
ington, but who were Chief and Assistant Chief respectively of 
the Chicago Division in its early days, deserve the highest pos- 
sible praise for the work done by them and the sacrifices they 
made in putting the League on its feet. Mr. Robert A. Gunn, 
formerly Assistant Chief, later Chief of the Chicago Division, is 
also entitled to highest possible praise for his untiring devotion 
to the service. Mr. John H. Winterbotham, Chairman of the 
Board of Governors at Chicago, who was one of the first mem- 
bers of the League, and who aided it in its financial development 
and other work, besides traveling through a number of cities in 
the middle west, appointing local chiefs of the League, etc., has 
done as much as any other man to perpetuate and make the 
League a success. The League will never be able to repay Mr. 
John F. Gilchrist, its Chief for many months during a very trying 
period, for his able leadership and devotion to the work. He was 



APPENDIX A 491 

ever available, at all hours of the day and night, and with his 
assistants is entitled to the credit for making the Chicago Division 
what it is. 

WitTiout exaggeration, I think the Chicago Division of the 
American Protective League did seventy-five percent of the Gov- 
ernment investigating work throughout the war. It seems to me 
that this one sentence covers the situation. 

When Captain Charles Daniel Frey was Chief of the Chicago 
Division, there was never a more active, energetic worker, and 
while I am not personally familiar with his work at Washington, 
I feel sure it was in keeping with what I know he did at Chicago. 

In addition to working for all Government bureaus, and helping 
in thousands of investigations, the League conducted a famous so- 
called "Slacker Drive" in Chicago during the period July 11 to 15, 
inclusive, 1918, and apprehended, or caused to go to the local 
boards to straighten out their records, 40,167 delinquents. The 
total number of deserters and delinquents apprehended during 
the period of the war, or taken to the local boards and inducted 
into the service, or permitted to file their questionnaire, or register, 
totaled approximately 67,000. Not one word of criticism was heard 
of the Chicago raid. During the four days, approximately 200,000 
persons between the ages of 21 and 31 were questioned. Hotels, 
cafes, saloons, baseball parks, moving-picture theatres, railroad 
depots, and other places where people are wont to congregate, 
were visited systematically and simultaneously throughout the 
district. A few who were unnecessarily detained, or believed they 
should not have been detained, instead of filing a protest, con- 
gratulated the Department and stated that their slight incon- 
venience was nothing to compare with the duty they owed to the 
community in aiding the authorities in apprehending those who 
had not complied with the law. The press, throughout the period 
of the war, aided the League and the Bureau of Investigation in 
every possible way. 

In addition to the automobile service rendered free of charge 
to the Government by the American Protective League, there grew 
out of this idea an organization known as the Emergency Drivers 
of Chicago, composed exclusively of women who devoted their 
entire time and machines, without cost to the Government, to 
driving the agents around this vicinity. They maintained, from 
the beginning of the war down to the present time, an ofiice in 
the Rookery Building, and furnished this Bureau with an average 
of fifteen to twenty automobiles per day. Mrs. Frederick D. 
Countiss, whose husband, Mr. Frederick D. Countiss, was also 
active in the American Protective League work, was responsible 
for this organization, and subsequently Miss Florence ^pofford 
was Chairman of the Chicago Division. The organization was 



492 THE WEB 

afterward taken over by the American Red Cross, and is now 
known as the American Red Cross Automobile Drivers, although, 
because of the manner in which it originated, it has always 
maintained an independent branch in the Rookery Building, over 
which Miss Spofford presided and which continued to furnish 
assistance to this Bureau. Personally, I doubt whether there is 
a single member of the American Protective League or emergency 
driver who appreciates just how much this volunteer assistance 
has meant to the Government during the war. 

(Signed) HINTON G. CLABAUGH 

Chicago, December 15, 1918. 



\ 



APPENDIX B 

CONFIDENTIAL CONSTITUTION OF THE AMERICAN PRO- 
TECTIVE LEAGUE AS FIRST OUTLINED TO MEMBERS 

Executive control of the organization is centered in a Board 
of National Directors operating from National Headquarters at 
Washington, D. C, in cooperation with the Department of Justice, 
and through it with other departments and agencies of the Gov- 
ernment; this Board being established to coordinate the activities 
of the local branches throughout the country. 

Divisional headquarters are established in the various States 
to coordinate the work of local branches operating throughout 
the divisional territory; to keep in touch with the work of each; 
to promote their efficiency and to render them practical assistance; 
and to establish and maintain ready communication with Agents 
in Charge of the Bureau of Investigation of the United States 
Department of Justice; and to develop methods of operation. 

The work of the American Protective League in the field is per- 
formed through the local g'^anches. The Chief of the Local Branch 
is appointed, and is subject c,to removal, by the Board of National 
Directors. He is the directing head of the organization and re- 
sponsible therefor. He will appoint an Assistant Chief; and, in 
his discretion, an Advisory Committee. 

Members of the organization must be American citizens of legal 
age, of good character and absolute loyalty, who undertake to 
serve from patriotic motives and without compensation. The re- 
ward of a member is the opportunity to serve the Government in 
a responsible way in matters of grave importance. The selection 
of members is a most important duty devolving upon the Chief, 
both because the future efficiency of the Local Branch is dependent 
upon its personnel, and because of the potential danger involved 
in mistakes in enrollment. The interest of the Government and 
the ability of the candidate to render efficient service are the first 
considerations and are paramount to any considerations of busi- 
ness, family or friendship. 

Every member of the organization must subscribe and swear 
to the formal oath before enrollment. This rule will be rigidly 
enforced and no member will be recognized as such until this 

493 



494 THE WEB 

action has been taken. The candidate will be sworn in before an 
officer qualified to administer oaths. 

Strict observance by members of the rules and regulations of 
the organization is required. The Government must not be embar- 
rassed by unauthorized action of members in the attempted per- 
formance of their duties. Experience has demonstrated the value 
of a Trial Board consisting of disinterested and responsible mem- 
bers of sound and unprejudiced judgment. 

The Bureau of Finance procures the funds necessary for the 
work of the organization from voluntary contribution of citizens, 
and has charge of all expenditures. It is important that an ac- 
curate system of requisition and voucher be installed and that all 
contributions be strictly accounted for. Periodic audits should be 
made at regular intervals. No volunteer member of the League 
should be allowed to profit through his service. 

Local Branches should not derive their revenue from any single 
person or interest, but should secure them from various sources 
so that no individual or business interest shall at any time be in 
a position to dictate as to the personnel, policy or activity of the 
Local Branch. Great care should be exercised that no alien enemy, 
or person in sympathy with the cause of the enemy, be allowed to 
contribute money and thereby discredit the organization. Expe- 
rience has shown that through appreciation of the protection af- 
forded the community by a competent local organization, adequate 
funds may readily be secured from responsible citizens. Each 
Local Branch is self-supporting, ans? ; ill be requested to make 
its proportionate contribution towar'l defraying the expenses of 
the National and Divisional Headquai ters. The efficient operation 
of these Headquarters, and their usefulness to the Local Branches, 
require adequate quarters, equipment and clerical assistance; and 
involve large expense for printing and distribution of bulletins of 
instruction and other literature. 

The Bureau of Law maintains an adequate corps of competent 
lawyers. It advises operatives upon all matters relating to their 
work, including questions of right and authority, the competency 
of evidence, etc. It assigns individual attorneys to direct par- 
ticular investigations, and gives advice as to the construction of 
laws. It revises the reports of operatives, and briefs the same 
for submission to the Bureau of Investigation Of the Department 
of Justice. In large and thickly populated communities a zone or 
district system of organization has proven most effective, members 
being assigned according to their residence. Under this plan the 
territory is divided into Inspection districts, each under the com- 
mand of an inspector. Each inspection district is in turn sub- 
divided into convenient territorial units, each under the direction 
of a captain. Under each captain is a company consisting of the 



APPENDIX B 495 

requisite number of platoons, each under the command of a lieu- 
tenant. No platoon should exceed ten men In size. Each in- 
spector is definitely responsible to the Chief for the territory in 
his district, and each captain is responsible to his inspector for 
the territory assigned to him. Cases for investigation within a 
district are assigned to the inspector for that district and by him 
through a captain to the men best fitted for the work. An auxiliary 
squad for emergency work may operate directly from headquarters. 

Experience has shown that a company under a captain should 
not exceed fifty men. The organization of a company Is indicated 
in the general chart. 

The Investigation Bureau should establish and maintain a close 
association with the Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Investiga- 
tion of the United States in order to render the greatest possible 
assistance to the Department of Justice. In the larger cities and 
wherever possible it is highly desirable that a Special Agent of 
the Department of Justice be assigned to the Local Branch to 
direct the work of investigation. 

It is the duty of each division chief to extend the organization 
throughout the city within the lines of his department in such 
manner as to attain so far as practicable the following ends: (1) 
the enlistment of responsible persons of sufficient number in each 
bank, business house and industrial plant of importance, whose 
sworn duty it will be to promptly report through the proper 
channel all cases of disloyalty, industrial disturbance, or other 
matter likely to injure or embarrass the Government of the United 
States; and (2) the establishment of an organization, through 
such means, which will at all times be ready and able to assist 
the operation of the Investigation Bureau of the Local Branch and 
of the Department of Justice when their investigations shall re- 
quire an entrance into and the securing of information from such 
banking, business or industrial establishments. 

In this Bureau large numbers of citizens will be enrolled, form- 
ing a WEB of communication throughout the community, by means 
of which quick and responsible report will be made of any and all 
matters affecting the welfare of the country during the present 
crisis. The duty of members to report will extend to all indus- 
trial, social or political plans or conspiracies, and to all other 
activities or utterances, designed to embarrass the Government in 
the prosecution of the war. 

In extending the organization each Division Supervisor, after 
his enrollment, will prepare a comprehensive plan covering the 
ground of his division. He will then proceed to enlist as Deputies 
under him, a responsible man in each plant or business house 
within his jurisdiction, such deputies to be executive officers of 
their respective business concerns if practicable. The deputies 



496 THE WEB 

after enrollment will select as aids a reliable man in each depart- 
ment of the business, preferably a superintendent, foreman or 
other man filling a responsible position in his department. The 
deputies will then confer with the aids and explain to them the 
nature of the organization and the scope of their duties. The 
aids will suggest to the deputies the names of several trusted 
employes in each department who are American citizens of legal 
age and who, on account of their long service and general char- 
acter, can be relied upon for loyal service to the country and the 
employer. The men so suggested as Reporters will not be ap- 
proached in the matter by the deputies or aids. After the selec- 
tion of the aids and reporters, the deputy will report his complete 
plan of organization to the Chief of the Local Branch, and upon 
approval of the organization the aids and reporters will be directed 
by the Chief to attend at convenient times for the purpose of being 
sworn in. 

The Real Estate Division reports all information secured by its 
members, and furnishes investigators with facts connected with 
the construction of buildings and occupations of and removals from 
ofBce buildings, houses and apartments. 

The Financial Division includes banks, stock and bond houses 
and safety deposit vaults, reports all information coming to its 
members, and furnishes to investigators facts with regard to 
foreign transactions, use of alien enemy funds and transactions 
with Germans. The department will furnish valuable Information 
in connection with the use of safety deposit vaults by alien 
enemies. 

The Insurance Division provides useful information through 
insurance inspectors of the character and use of buildings and 
plants, and reports upon casualties; it also provides life insurance 
data upon individuals and details of marine insurance. 

The Professional Division includes engineers, accountants, 
physicians and other professions, and in addition to reporting 
information coming to the knowledge of its members. Is called 
upon for professional assistance and advice in connection with 
work of the investigators. 

The Hotels Division includes hotels, restaurants and theatres. 
The division is organized so that responsible persons will be en- 
listed in all departments of all of the hotels and restaurants. 
They will be able to make prompt and reliable reports on the 
doings of all transients and others connected with the hotels 
and restaurants. 

The Transportation Division covers all railroads, shipping, taxi- 
cabs and teaming. This division will report information and 
assist in investigations throughout these interests. 

The Public Utilities Division includes all lines and methods of 



APPENDIX B 497 

commuication, including telephone, telegraph, wireless, electric 
light, gas, elevated and traction lines and other local transporta- 
tion. 

The General Merchandise Division includes mail order houses, 
department stores, retail and wholesale houses. 

The Division of Industries is subdivided as follows: munitions, 
war equipment, metal trades, lumber trades, electrical, packing 
houses, grain, foodstuffs, chemicals and paints, and miscellaneous. 
The Miscellaneous Subdivision will include, under separate depu- 
ties, automobiles, building material, cigars and tobacco, coal, con- 
tractors, leather, motion picture producers, paper trades, photog- 
raphers, and printers and engravers. 

Any one of these subdivisions may be of sufficient importance 
In a given community to constitute a separate Division. On the 
other hand, many of the above divisions when locally unimportant 
may be included in "Miscellaneous." 

The work of each Local Branch is under the responsible direc- 
tion and control of the Local Chief. He is responsible for the 
efficiency of the work. It is essential that an Assistant Chief be 
appointed to counsel with the Chief and to act with authority in 
his absence. 

In cities of larger size an office in good location, convenient to 
the Department of Justice, is desirable. An efficient organization 
will readily command adequate financial support, and the work 
will be carried on with less publicity and greater efficiency in an 
independent office, suitably equipped. Adequate clerical and sten- 
ographic help should be provided so that investigations and reports 
may be promptly made. 

In connection with the central office the services of volunteer 
interpreters should be available at all times for translating papers 
and interviewing witnesses. 

Full cooperation with Government and police officials should 
be promptly secured so that they may be quickly available in all 
cases of emergency. 

The work of the various Branches and Divisions should be co- 
ordinated through the central office so that information or as- 
sistance of any kind may be promptly secured at any time by any 
member from any other department through the established 
channel. 

Each Local Branch will operate in close cooperation with and 
under the general direction of the Government Agent in charge 
of the nearest office of the Bureau of Investigation of the Depart- 
ment of Justice, and all reports of investigations, unless otherwise 
directed, will be made to him. The Local Branch will cooperate 
at all times, through the Department of Justice, with other Gov- 
ernmental Departments and agencies, but will undertake no work 



498 THE WEB 

from them by direct assignment except with the knowledge of the 
Bureau of Investigation of the United States Department of Jus- 
tice, or by instruction from National Headquarters. It is the de- 
sire of the organization to render useful service to all Departments 
of the Government. 

Members loill always de mindful of the fact that they are acting 
in the interests of the Department of Justice of the United States 
and conduct themselves with dignity, tact and discretion. They 
must refrain from words and conduct in any way calculated to 
bring the Government or the organization into disrespect. 

The work of the members must be carried on wholly without 
publicity or personal advertisement. 

Members will not discuss cases assigned to them with other 
members or officers of the organization, but will make their re- 
ports to their immediate superiors. Members will not take outside 
individuals into their confidence. 

Members must not permit the source of information of any com- 
plaint, or the name of the complainant, to be disclosed under any 
circumstances. They will state in all cases where opportunity 
offers that neither the American Protective League nor the De- 
partment of Justice will disclose directly or indirectly to any per- 
son the name or the complainant or any person giving information 
with regard to the suspect. This cannot be too strongly impressed 
upon all persons with whom the organization comes in contact. 

No member shall inform the suspect or his family of the fact of 
the investigation, or interview them regarding the subject of in- 
quiry, without direct authority from his Captain or Chief. 

Members will not disclose to suspects, or to persons not con- 
nected with the organization, the names of other members or offi- 
cers of the League. It is important that the work of the League 
be impersonal. The enforcement of this rule is likewise necessary 
to safeguard the officers and members of the League in their work. 

Abuse of their credentials by members by public exhibition or 
otherwise will be ground for immediate discharge from member- 
ship. The use of such credentials under an assumption of authority 
for the purpose of escaping penalties for automobile speeding, or 
otherwise, or to secure special privileges in theatres, street cars 
and other public places is likewise ground for dismissal. No mem- 
ber will be permitted by such means to embarrass the organization 
in its work and in its relation with public officails. 

Members are not privileged through membership in the organi- 
zation to carry firearms or other weapons forbidden by law. The 
carrying of such weapons at any time is wholly upon the respon- 
sibility of the individual. 

No member will be exempt from military service under the re- 



APPENDIX B 499 

quirements of the Selective Service Regulations, or otherwise, by 
reason of his membership in the organization. 

Members will carefully avoid any representation, direct or in- 
direct, that they are Government oflficers; and will particularly 
avoid any statement or implication that they are members of the 
"Secret Service Department of the United States." The American 
Protective League is organized with the approval and is operating 
under the direction of the United States Department of Justice, 
Bureau of Investigation. It is not connected with the Secret 
Service Division of the Treasury Department. 

When making investigations after receipt of instructions mem- 
bers of the American Protective League are authorized to state 
that they are making the investigation "for the Department of 
Justice." 

Members of the American Protective League have no general 
powers of arrest. They are investigators only, and have no greater 
power than private citizens in the matter of arrests. As a general 
rule a citizen can make an arrest without warrant where a felony 
has been committed in his presence, but there is no authority for 
a citizen to make an arrest without a warrant to prevent the com- 
mission of a misdemeanor, or for a misdemeanor committed in his 
presence which does not amount to a breach of the peace. At 
common law, and except where changed by statute, it is the duty 
of every citizen to assist in preserving the public peace and safety. 
Any citizen may arrest without a warrant one who commits a 
breach of the peace in his presence, or where there is reasonable 
ground for apprehension that the arrested person is about to 
commit a breach of the peace. It is essential to justify such an 
arrest that the offense committed shall amount to a breach of the 
peace, that such offense shall have been actually committed or 
attempted in the presence of the person making the arrest, and 
that the arrest be made at the time when the offense was com- 
mitted. No private person has the right to make an arrest for 
a misdemeanor without a warrant after the event or upon mere 
information or suspicion. The term " breach of the peace " is a 
generic one, and includes riots, unlawful assemblies, riotous and 
wanton discharge of firearms in the public streets, affrays, as- 
saults, the use of profane, indecent and abusive language on the 
street, and in the presence of others, and other acts destroying 
public order and tranquility. The right of citizens in this regard, 
however, depends somewhat upon the Statutes of the several States 
and members should be advised by their Local Chiefs of their 
authority in the premises. They should act only where the regular 
police officers are not reasonably available and where inaction may 
be productive of serious results. 



500 THE WEB \. 

Under the laws of the United States (Act of August 29, 1916; 
C, 418, Sec. 3) it is lawful for any civil officer having authority 
under the laws of the United States or of any State, Territory, 
District, or possession of the United States to arrest offenders, 
summarily to arrest a deserter from the military service of the 
United States. Under the opinion of the Judge Advocate General 
of the Army (C. 17327-1) a citizen acting under an order or direc- 
tion of a military officer may apprehend a deserter, but a citizen, 
and this term includes a member of the American Protective 
League, has no authority as such to arrest a deserter from the 
army in the absence of a special request or direction of a military 
officer. 

It is seldom that the necessity for arrest arises. In such a case 
the member will notify his Chief who will secure prompt action 
by the proper authorities. 

Cases will be assigned for investigation by the Chief to in- 
spectors and by them transmitted through the captains to the 
lieutenants, who will assign them to the members best qualified 
for the particular work. All reports must be submitted in writing 
through the lieutenants and captains to the inspectors, and by 
the inspectors to the central office. All reports of a confidential 
nature should be brought to the office by the inspectors in person 
or by private messenger. In the smaller cities where inspection 
districts are not created, the above rules will be accordingly 
modified. 

All investigations and reports are the business of the League 
and must become matters of permanent record. They may not be 
suppressed or destroyed, but must be disposed of in regular course 
through the established channels of the Bureau of Investigation of 
the United States Department of Justice. 

Great opportunity foi service is afforded the American Pro- 
tective League in reporting promptly and accurately all evidence 
of enemy propaganda throughout the country. The League is in a 
peculiarly advantageous position to secure this Information and 
present it to the authorities at Washington. 



APPENDIX C 
THE ORIGINAL CALL 

The following was the first national summons sent out by 
Mr. A. M. Briggs in the early days of the American Pro- 
tective League: 

I have been authorized by the United States Department of 
Justice, Bureau of Investigation, to organize confidentially in your 
town, a division of the American Protective League. You have 
been recommended to me as a man possessing the necessary quali- 
fications to successfully organize and command the organization, 
and I vpill be glad to have you accept the responsibility of building 
the organization in your town and acting as its Chief. 

The object of the American Protective League, which is entirely 
a patriotic one, no member of which receives any compensation 
whatever for his services, is to work under the direction of the 
United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Investigation, in 
assisting the Department in securing information of the activities 
of agents of foreign governments, or persons unfriendly to this 
government for the protection of public property, etc., and any 
other work that may be assigned to us by the Department at any 
time. 

Each local organization or Division of the American Protective 
League will work under the direction of the Government Agent in 
charge of the nearest office of the Department of Justice — and as 
Chief of your local Division you will report daily or as often as 
necessary, personally or by telephone, telegraph or mail, to your 
nearest Special Agent of the Department of Justice. 

Your organization should be made up only of American citizens 
of high moral character and good standing in your community 
who are willing to serve the organization from a purely patriotic 
motive and without compensation. Your organization will be in 
your charge as Chief and you will properly enroll and swear in 
each member of your organization on enrollment blanks which 
you will keep on file in your office. As soon as your organizatiou 
is complete you will please forward me a duplicate list of your 
entire organization, with your name as Chief, with your Captains 
and Lieutenants and the men enrolled under each Captain. 

501 



502 THE WEB 

It is essential that ttie greatest possible secrecy be maintained, 
both in forming the organization and in conducting it, and that 
all arrangements must be kept as confidential as is practicable, 
and, further, that great care must be taken by your entire organi- 
zation at all times that nothing is done by it or by any member 
of it to unnecessarily alarm aliens in this country or cause them 
any apprehension as to the fair manner in which they will be 
treated, and that no arrests should be caused excepting after con- 
sultation with the local Government Agent or his assistants. 

You will personally administer the oath to each member you 
enroll and accept and at the same time assign to that member a 
number, — enter his number on his enrollment blank, his com- 
mission card and on the list you will later forward to this office. 
Start with Number One, which is your number as Chief. 

It is advisable that you consult with the Chief of your local 
Police or ask j^our Government Agent to do so, so that the Chief 
of Police may instruct his officers fully in reference to our organi- 
zation so that the commission card will be recognized by the 
Police in cases where such recognition is desired. You will, un- 
doubtedly, find that your local Chief of Police will be very glad 
to work with your men wherever his assistance may be necessary 
in forwarding the interest of the Government. 

It is the desire of the Government that every possible source 
of information that may be of value to the Department of Justice 
be thoroughly and efficiently covered by your organization in your 
town and you will please use great care in the selection of the 
Captains, Lieutenants and members of each Company so that each 
Company can be depended upon to efficiently handle the work 
assigned to it. 

In forming your organization, bear in mind the great variety of 
investigation that you are likely to be called upon by the Govern- 
ment to make, and make your organization large enough to thor- 
oughly cover every business, manufacturing and other interests 
in your town that in your opinion should be covered — so that you 
will be immediately informed of any activity that may prove 
directly or indirectly unfriendly to the best interests of the 
Government. 

You will handle the organization work along the most effective 
lines possible. If convenient to do so please confer with your 
Government Agent on the entire organization work. It is unnec- 
essary to call your attention to the fact that the greatest possible 
speed consistent with thorough and efficient organization is greatly 
desired by the Government. 

Yours very truly, 

(Signed) A. M. BRIGGS, 

General Superintendent. 



APPENDIX C 503 

The selection of Chiefs was inaugurated by the following 
communication : 

Acting under instructions from Bureau of Investigation, Depart- 
ment of Justice, we are required to organize a separate branch of 
the American Protective League in each town. Our method is to 
secure the name of a live, aggressive patriot who is willing to 
undertake the responsibility of organizing and acting as Chief of 
our branch in his town, and then send him the enclosed letter 
which explains the organization work and ask him to undertake 
the work. I will be very glad indeed to have you act as the 
organizer and Chief of the Branch of the American Protective 
League if you can and will do so. Otherwise, I will be very glad 
to have you turn the enclosed letter over to the man in your town 
whom you select as the best fitted for this responsibility and have 
him write me at the above address so that I can authorize him 
immediately to go forward with the organization work. 

We are sending you imder separate cover enrollment blanks 
for the enrollment of your organization. You will please per- 
sonally fill out one of these blanks and swear to it before a Notary 
signing the oath in the presence of the Notary, then forward the 
card to this office. After you have taken the oath yourself you 
will then proceed to administer it to your men. 

Enclosed herewith you will find your commission card as Chief 
of your Division, which you will please sign at the same time you 
take your oath, and retain. When you fill out your commission 
card, please use the date on which you were appointed Chipf. 

As each member takes the oath, you will issue him a commission 
card, filling in his rank either as Captain, Lieutenant or Operative, 
and have him sign his card in your presence. 

As each man is sworn in, you will please place his number on 
the commission card. .Please use great care that no commission 
card leaves your possession until it is given to a member of your 
organization after having been signed by him in your presence at 
the time he takes the oath. 

The matter of credentials was at first covered by a letter 
of instruction from the Superintendent to all Chiefs : 

The badges to be worn by the members of the American Pro- 
tective League will be ready for shipment within a few days. Your 
members are not required to wear a badge if they do not care 
to do so. In delivering the badges to your men, please caution 
them to wear the badge concealed at all times and not to display 
it unless it is necessary to do so while making their investigations. 
It is advisable that you consult with the Chief of your local Police 



504: THE WEB 

or ask the local Government Agent to do so, so that the Chief of 
Police may instruct his officers fully in reference to our organiza- 
tion so that the badge will be recognized by the police in cases 
where such recognition is desired. You will, undoubtedly, find 
that the local Chief of Police will be very glad to work with your 
men wherever their assistance may be necessary in forwarding 
the interests of the Government. 

It is directed that each member of your organization be sworn 
in by you, taking the oath printed on the back of the enclosed 
enrollment blank. Paste the oath at the top of a sheet of paper, 
and as your men take the oath have them sign on the paper below, 
together with the number that you will assign to each man. This 
list you will retain in your possession, but as soon as you have 
sworn in your entire membership, please send this ofiice a com- 
plete list of your members with their new numbers. 



APPENDIX D 

DIGEST OF THE AMENDED ESPIONAGE ACT AS PRINTED 
IN " THE SPY GLASS," JUNE, 1918 

Signed by President Wilson on May 16, the amended 
espionage laws opens a new chapter in the work of the 
American Protective League. For the first time we have 
an inclusive law under which to operate — a law broad 
enough in its scope and classifications to cover and define 
as serious crimes a multitude of offenses which were classed 
as minor by our peace-time code but actually offered 
serious hindrances to this country's military operations and 
preparations. 

For the first time, too, heavy penalties have been provided 
for acts and speeches which before could hardly be punished 
at all under the law. Maximum sentences of twenty years 
imprisonment and $10,000 fine are not to be taken lightly 
either by disloyal and pacifist citizens or by unfriendly or 
enemy aliens who have made it their business, since war 
was declared, to invent and circulate discreditable stories 
about almost every phase of America's war activities. 

Disloyalty Now a Crime 

No distinction is made between the disloyal talk or act of a citi- 
zen and the hostile speech or deed of an alien, enemy or other- 
wise. The act or speech is the offense and whoever commits it 
must pay the penalty — though the law allows a good deal of 
latitude to the court in determining the latter. 

All this means a tremendous simplification of every member's 
labors. So far-reaching and important are the provisions of the 
amended law — so clearly does it indicate tM-chief kinds of spying 
and of propaganda which the League must combat, that the whole 
catalogue of crimes may well be set down here for study and 
ready reference In months to come. Omitting the preliminary 

505 



506 THE WEB 

enacting clauses and breaking up the main section into handy 
paragraphs, the amended law now reads as follows: 

OFPENSES: 

I — False and Interfering Reports 

Section 3. Whoever, when the United States is at war, shall 
willfully make or convey false reports or false statements with 
intent to Interfere with the operation or success of the military 
or naval forces of the United States, or to promote the success 
of its enemies, — 

// — Ohstructing Bond Sales, etc. 

— whoever shall willfully make or convey false reports or false 
statements, or say or do anything except by way of bona fide and 
not disloyal advice to an investor or investors, with intent to 
obstruct the sale by the United States of bonds or other securities 
of the United States or the making of loans by or to the United 
States, — 

III — Inciting or Causing Mutiny 

— whoever, when the United States is at war, shall willfully cause 
or attempt to cause or incite or attempt to incite, insubordination, 
disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty, in the military or naval 
forces of the United States, — 

IV — Obstructing Enlistments 

— whoever shall willfully obstruct or attempt to obstruct the 
recruiting or enlistment service of the United States, — 

V — Attacks on Government, Flag, etc. 

— whoever, when the United States is at war, shall willfully utter, 
print, write, or publish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive 
language about the form of government of the United States, or 
the Constitution of the United States, or the military or naval 
forces of the United States, or the flag of the United States, or 
the uniform of the Army or Navy of the United States, or any 
language intended to bring the form of government of the United 
States, or the Constitution of the United States, or the military 
or naval forces of the United States, or the flag of the United 
States, or the uniform of the Army or Navy of the United States 
into contempt, scorn, contumely, or disrepute, — 

YI — Encotiraging Resistance 

— whoever shall willfully utter, print, write, or publish any Ian- 



APPENDIX D 507 

guage intended to incite, provoke, or encourage resistance to the 
United States, or to promote the cause of its enemies, or stiall 
willfully display the flag of any enemy, — 

VII — Curtailing Production 

— whoev(er shall willfully by utterance, writing, printing, publica- 
tion, or language spoken, urge, incite, or advocate any curtailment 
of production in this country of anything or things, product or 
products, necessary or essential to the prosecution of the war in 
which the United States may be engaged, with intent by such 
curtailment to cripple or hinder the United States in the prosecu- 
tion of the war, — 

VIII — Defending or Teaching Disloyalty 

— whoever shall willfully advocate, teach, defend, or suggest the 
doing of any of the acts or things in this section enumerated, — 

IX — Supporting the Enemy 

— and whoever shall by word or act support or favor the cause of 
any country with which the United States is at war, or by word or 
act oppose the cause of the United States therein, — 

THE PENALTY: 

— shall be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprison- 
ment for not more than twenty years, or both. 

An additional section of the amended law provides for the 
instant dismissal of any official or employee of the United States 
who commits a disloyal act or utters disloyal or unpatriotic lan- 
guage. This is as follows: 

Any employee or official of the United States Government who 
commits any disloyal act or utters any unpatriotic or disloyal 
language, or who, in an abusive and violent manner criticizes the 
Army or Navy or the flag of the United States shall be at once 
dismissed from the service. Any such employee shall be dismissed 
by the head of the department in which the employee may be 
engaged, and any such official shall be dismissed by the authority 
having power to appoint a successor to the dismissed official. 

No Mail For Propagandists 

Plotting or propaganda by mail is made punishable by imme- 
diate withdrawal of postal privileges from any individual or firm, 
against whom satisfactory evidence is brought that he is violating 
any provision of this new law. Conviction is not necessary: 
evidence satisfactory to the Postmaster General is enough to close 
the mails to the offender. Here is the amended section: 



508 THE WEB 

Sec. 4. Wlien the United States is at war, the Postmaster 
General may, upon evidence satisfactory to him that any person 
or concern is using the mails in violation of any of the provisions 
of this Act, instruct the postmaster at any post office at which 
mail is received addressed to such person or concern to return 
to the postmaster at the office at which they were originally 
mailed all letters or other matter so addressed, with the words 
" Mail to this address undeliverable under Espionage Act " plainly 
written or stamped upon the outside thereof and all such letters 
or other matter so returned to such postmasters shall be by them 
returned to the senders thereof under such regulations as the 
Postmaster General may prescribe. 

An Ail-Embracing Clause 

Read over the ninth clause of section 3 again: "whoever shall 
by word or act support or favor the cause of any country with 
which the United States is at war, or by word or act oppose the 
cause of the United States therein — ." That clause alone serves 
to make enemy propaganda or native-born sedition a hazardous 
undertaking in any community where League members are awake 
and on the job. 

Gone is the necessity of arguing and pleading with the pro- 
German, the pacifist and the native-born disloyalist to speak with 
straight tongues. Loyal citizens retain the right to free speech and 
to honest and reasonable criticism of the Government's actions 
and policies. But indiscriminate abuse and lying reports of what 
is happening here at home or overseas are going to stop. The 
amended law is a powerful weapon put into our hands for that 
very purpose. 

Notice also that the word " willfully " is omitted in Clause Nine. 
To convict a man of disloyalty or sedition, you will not have to 
prove his disloyal or hostile intention. Like murder or burglary, 
espionage and sedition are become positive crimes. No one who 
commits them can plead innocent intent. 



APPENDIX E 

REMOVAL OF ALIEN ENEMIES 

R. S. SEC. 4067 (as amended). Whenever there is a declared 
war between the United States and any foreign nation or govern- 
ment, or any invasion or predatory incursion is perpetrated, at- 
tempted, or threatened against the territory of the United States] 
by any foreign nation or government, and the President makes 
public proclamation of the event, all natives, citizens, denizens, or 
subjects of the hostile nation or government, being of the age 0/ 
fourteen years and upward, vi^ho shall be within the United States, 
and not actually naturalized, shall be liable to be apprehended, 
restrained, secured and removed, as alien enemies. The President 
is authorized, in any such event, by his proclamation thereof, or 
other public act, to direct the conduct to be observed, on the part 
of the United States toward the aliens who become so liable; the 
manner and degree of the restraint to which they shall be subject, 
and in what cases, and upon what security their residences shall 
be permitted, and to provide for the removal of those who, not 
being permitted to reside within the United States, refuse or 
neglect to depart therefrom; and to establish any other regulations, 
which are found necessary in the premises and for the public 
safety. (Act of July 6, 1798, Chap. 66, Sec. 1, Stat. 577. As 
amended by Act of April 16, 1918: Public No. 131 — 65th Congress: 
H. R. 9504.) 



509 



APPENDIX F 

PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION REGARDING REGULATION 
OF ALIEN ENEMIES 

Pursuant to the authority vested in me, I hereby declare and 
establish the following regulations, which I find necessary in the 
premises and for the public safety: 

(1) An alien enemy shall not have in Ms possession at any 
time or place any fire-arm, weapon or implement of war, or 
component part thereof, ammunition, maxim, or other silencer, 
bomb, or explosive or material used in the manufacture of ex- 
plosives; 

(2) An alien enemy shall not have in his possession at any 
time or place, or use or operate any aircraft or wireless apparatus, 
or any form of signalling device, or any form of cipher code, or 
any paper, document or book written or printed in cipher or in 
which there may be invisible writing. 

(3) All property found in the possession of an alien enemy 
in violation of the foregoing regulations shall be subject to 
seizure by the United States; 

(4) An alien enemy shall not approach or 'be found tcithin one- 
half of a mile of any Federal or State fort, camp, arsenal, aircraft 
station. Government or naval vessel, navy yard, factory, or work- 
shop for the manufacture of munitions of war or of any products 
for the use of the army or navy; 

(5) An alien enemy shall iiot write, print, or publish any attack 
or threats against the Government or Congress of the United 
States, or either branch thereof, or against the measures or policy 
of the United States, or against the person or property of any 
person in the military, naval, or civil service of the United States, 
or of the States or Territories, or of the District of Columbia, or 
of the municipal governments therein; 

(6) An alien enemy shall not commit or abet any hostile act 
against the United States, or give information, aid, or comfort to 
its enemies; 

(7) An alien enemy shall not reside in or continue to reside 
in, to remain in, or enter any locality which the President may 
from time to time designate by Executive Order as a prohibited 

510 



APPENDIX F 511 

area in which residence by an alien enemy shall be found by him 
to constitute a danger to the public peace and safety of the 
United States except 61/ permit from the President and except 
under such limitations or restrictions as the President may 
prescribe; 

(8) An alien enemy whom the President shall have reasonable 
cause to believe to be aiding or about to aid the enemy, or to be 
at large to the danger of the public peace or safety of the United 
States, or to have violated or to be about to violate any of these 
regulations, shall remove to any location designated by the Pres- 
ident by Executive Order, and shall not remove therefrom without 
a permit, or shall depart from the United States if so required by 
the President; 

(9) No alien enemy shall depart from the United States until 
he shall have receive such permit as the President shall prescribe, 
or except under order of a court, judge, or justice, under Sections 
4069 and 4070 of the Revised Statutes; 

(10) No alien enemy shall land in or enter the United States, 
except under such restrictions and at such places as the President 
may prescribe; 

(11) If necessary to prevent violations of these regulations, all 
alien enemies will 6e oMiged to register; 

(12) An alien enemy whom there may be reasonable cause to 
believe to be aiding or about to aid the enemy, or who may be at 
large to the danger of the puhlic peace or safety, or who violates, 
or attempts to violate, or of whom there is reasonable ground to 
believe that he is alout to violate, any regulation duly promul- 
gated by the President, or any criminal law of the United States, 
or of the States or Territories thereof, will be subject to summary 
arrest by the United States Marshal, or his deputy, or such other 
officer as the President shall designate, and to confinement in such 
penitentiary, prison, jail, military camp, or other place of detention 
as may be directed by the President. This proclamation and the 
regulations herein contained shall extend and apply to all land 
and water, continental or insular, in any way within the juris- 
diction of the United States. 

NOTE — Made applicable to females, who are natives, citizens, 
denizens or subjects of Germany, by President's Proclamation _ of 
April 19, 1917, except that Regulation 4 was not to become effective 
until such time as might be fixed and declared by the Attorney 
General. 



V 



, riRR "0 !5W 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper proces 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: i^^ ZuU^ 

PreservationTechnologiej 

AWORUO LEADER IH PAPER PRESERVATIC 

111 Thomson Par1< Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724) 779-2111 



